New York Gov. Hochul Proposes This Law Change for Kids on Social Media

In her State of the State address on Tuesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul laid out her plan to limit access to social media for kids under the age of 18. While social media won't be banned completely, new legislation would alter the way kids in the state are able to interact on social media platforms.

Here's the latest information about this proposed legislation.

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Governor Hochul Plans Legislation That Limits Access to Social Media for Children

A story from New York Upstate shared the plans laid out by Kathy Hochul, 57th Governor of New York, wherein the state would limit access to social media for children living in New York who are under 18.

It's not a ban, but rather, an alteration: kids would still be able to access social media, but their feed would be presented in chronological order, and would no longer be algorithm-based.

The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act (SAFE for Kids Act) is intended to target those algorithms on social media platforms, and by extension, the harmful impact they have on kids. Algorithms are processes embedded in social media platforms that learn information about users' interests based on site activity (clicks, likes, comments, etc.).

Algorithms allow social media platforms to present users with content that matches their interests, which subsequently keeps them on social media for longer periods of time.

So, if this legislation prohibits algorithm-based social media use for children, in theory, it will limit the amount of time that kids spend on the platforms. The governor's office states that increased time on social media can negatively impact mental health for minors, so, if kids spend less time on their phones, it may have a positive effect on mental health.

The bill would also prohibit social media platforms from sending notifications during certain hours, and allow parents to block kids from using social media during certain hours, according to the report.