AG James, Lawmakers, & Concerned Parents Push for Groundbreaking Legislation to Protect Teens on Social Media

NEW YORK, NY (01/25/2024) (readMedia)-- On Friday, Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Nily Rozic, and Common Sense Media will join concerned parents of teens to advocate for state legislation that will keep teens safe online and demand accountability from Big Tech companies notorious for prioritizing profits over the well-being of youth. In just the past month, New York has quickly positioned itself as a leader equipt to take on Big Tech. Shortly after Governor Kathy Hochul prioritized two bills in her Executive Budget proposal to regulate social media giants, NYC Mayor Eric Adams named social media a "public health hazard" for teens and children. This comes at a critical juncture when companies like Meta are profiting immensely from kids, with a staggering $11 billion in ad revenue from underage users in 2022, while publicly misleading New Yorkers on their intentions to improve their platforms for teens.

Outlined in her Executive Budget proposal, Governor Hochul named the protection of teens online the "defining challenge of our time" and included the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act (SAFE) and the New York Child Data Protection Act as part of her budget agenda. Both sponsored by Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Rozic, and backed by Attorney General James, these bills would create critical protections for children and young adults online by restricting the collection of their personal data and prohibiting the use of addictive algorithms.