New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed into law a bill that would allow parents to block social media posts suggested by the platform’s algorithm, in a move to limit feeds that critics say are addictive. .
Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram for users under 18 would be limited to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by an automated algorithm.
A feed is a space where social media users can receive personalized content recommendations. In addition, it would prevent platforms from sending minors notifications of suggested posts between midnight and 6 in the morning.
Both provisions can be disabled if the minor obtains what the bill defines as “verifiable parental consent.”
The law will not take effect immediately. State Attorney General Letitia James is now tasked with crafting rules to determine mechanisms for verifying user age and parental consent. Once the rules are finalized, social media companies will have 180 days to implement the rules.
“We can protect our children. “We can tell companies that they are not allowed to do this, that they do not have the right to do this, that it is parents, and not them, who should have a say over the lives and health of children,” Hochul said at the bill signing ceremony in Manhattan.
The signing is the first step in what is expected to be a lengthy rule-making process, and a likely lawsuit by social media companies to block the law.
NetChoice, a tech industry trade group that includes X and Meta, has criticized the legislation, saying it is unconstitutional.
“This is an attack by the state of New York on free speech and the open internet,” Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel of NetChoice, said in a statement.
“New York has created a way for the government to know what sites people visit and what their online activity is by forcing websites to censor all content unless visitors provide identification to verify.” your age”.
Most large social media platforms send their users a continuous series of videos, photos and other suggested content, using a computer to try to predict what will keep users entertained and interested for as long as possible.
Algorithms use different factors to find and retrieve that content, including what the user has previously viewed and the interests of other people with similar preferences.
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