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Hochul Signs Bill to Combat Social Media Addiction Hochul Signs Bill to Combat Social Media Addiction

By TJ O'Sullivan

TJ O’Sullivan: SOCIAL MEDIA– IT SEEMS LIKE WE ALL HAVE AT LEAST ONE PLATFORM, WHETHER IT BE INSTAGRAM, X, TIKTOK, FACEBOOK, YOU NAME IT. IN FACT, A VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE ACTIVE ON AT LEAST ONE PLATFORM. WHILE THE WORLD MAY BE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, STUDIES SHOW THAT THE AVERAGE TIME A PERSON SPENDS ON THEIR PHONE HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY SINCE 20-20, AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH TEENAGERS. GOVERNOR HOCHUL TOOK A HUGE STEP FORWARD YESTERDAY, SIGNING A LANDMARK BILL THAT WILL START A WAR WITH BIG TECH COMPANIES.

O’Sullivan (cont.): SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS LIKE INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK AIM TO KEEP USERS SCROLLING FOR AS LONG AS THEY CAN.
BUT HOW DOES THAT AFFECT OUR KIDS?
ACCORDING TO STATISTA-DOT-COM, OVER 320-MILLION PEOPLE IN THE U-S USE AT LEAST ONE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, AND TEENS ARE ONE OF THE MOST AFFECTED DEMOGRAPHICS.
BUT THE STATE OF NEW YORK IS FIGHTING BACK.
ON THURSDAY, GOVERNOR HOCHUL SIGNED THE SAFE FOR KIDS ACT INTO LAW, PREVENTING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FROM USING THOSE ALGORITHMS ON CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT.
ALEXANDER DUNBAR, A PROFESSOR AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, SAYS THIS BILL IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP.

Alexander Dunbar: “I think this really may be the opening to some negotiations with tech companies to say ‘how can we better implement parental controls?’”

O’Sullivan: TRACY, A MOTHER OF THREE HERE IN SYRACUSE, SAYS LIMITING EXPOSURE TO HARMFUL ALGORITHMS IS FOR THE BEST.

Tracy: “Social media is very habit-forming, so limiting their exposure at younger ages is really, really important.”

O’Sullivan: EVEN RON, A NON-SOCIAL MEDIA USER, SEES THE EFFECTS THE MEDIUM HAS ON THE YOUTH.

Ron: “If [companies] like TikTok can keep them on the computer, it’s going to take away from what they want to do.”

O’Sullivan: WITH SOCIAL MEDIA BECOMING MORE AND MORE PREVALENT IN OUR DAILY LIVES, GOVERNOR HOCHUL HOPES THE SAFE FOR KIDS ACT WILL KEEP KIDS EXACTLY THAT: SAFE.

O’Sullivan (cont.): SENATOR JOHN MANNION, WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE BILL TWICE, ISSUED A STATEMENT TO NCC NEWS. “THE DATA IS CLEAR – SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS CAN HARM CHILDREN AND REASONABLE RESTRICTIONS WILL PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. I’M PROUD TO SUPPORT THIS COMMONSENSE LEGISLATION.”

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the SAFE For Kids Act Thursday in the state’s latest effort to combat social media’s impact on the youth.

The bill would require social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, to add parental control settings to their algorithms. Currently, many social media platforms curate content for each individual user, leading to an increase in screen time among users.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said earlier this week that teenagers, on average, spend around five hours daily on social media platforms. 

“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents,” Murthy wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times Monday.

Hochul had been pushing the SAFE For Kids Act since October, urging New York lawmakers to join her in the fight against “addictive algorithms.” Thursday, that mission took a big step in the right direction.

“By reining in addictive feeds and shielding kids’ personal data, we’ll provide a safer digital environment, give parents more peace of mind, and create a brighter future for young people across New York,” said Hochul, at Thursday’s bill signing.

The impact of this bill reaches far beyond Albany. Syracuse University professor Alexander Dunbar said this is the first step to achieving online safety, but far from the last.

“I think this really may be the opening to some negotiations with tech companies to say ‘how can we better implement parental controls?’” said Dunbar.

Syracuse natives also had a say, like Tracy (who wished to keep her last name anonymous). Tracy is well-versed in social media, as a mother of three.

“Social media is very habit-forming,” said Tracy. “Limiting [kids’] exposure at younger ages is really, really important.”

Ron, another Syracuse native who did not wish to reveal his last name, said that he does not use social media. However, he sees the effects the platforms have on shaping the youth. Ron believes social media prevents children and teens from forming hobbies and other pastimes.

“If [companies] like TikTok can keep them on the computer, it’s going to take away from what they want to do,” said Ron.

New York Sen. John Mannion issued a statement to NCC News, which reads:

“The data is clear – social media algorithms can harm children and reasonable restrictions will protect the health and safety of our young people. I’m proud to support this commonsense legislation.”

The SAFE For Kids Act, now signed into law, is speculated by some to bring up a debate regarding First Amendment liberties. NCC News will follow this story closely over the following months.

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