South Queens, NY – New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato proudly cast her vote in the affirmative on two nation-leading pieces of legislation, A.8148 and A.8149 which are geared towards helping protect kids from addictive social media feeds and digital monitoring which could follow them for the rest of their lives. Pheffer Amato’s yes vote helped ensure the passage of these two bills which are the first significant advancement in online child protection in New York in nearly 24 years.

“The SAFE for Kids Act”, A.8148, will prohibit social media platforms from providing “addictive feeds” to children younger than 18 without parental consent. Under this law, kids may still use social media but will not be subject to algorithmically driven feeds that promote unhealthy levels of engagement. The bill would also require platforms to obtain parental consent in order to send notifications to children between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. While “The New York Child Data Protection Act”, A.8149, will ensure that privacy is the default for minors, prohibiting online sites from collecting, using, sharing or processing any data of individuals under the age of 18. The purpose is to prevent websites and digital services from keeping a record of children's online lives.

“Social media platforms have developed addictive feeds that are designed to keep users engaged on the platform, especially young children. We know that this leads to higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and self-harm in children. By putting a stop to this practice and ensuring that no site can collect data on anyone under 18, we are protecting our children in this digital age,” said Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato. “I am honored to be a prime co-sponsor of this bill and to have voted yes on such an important piece of legislation as this will give parents the tools to make online spaces safer for children.”

Governor Hochul signed both bills into law.