New York looks for a creative strategy to tackle online targeting of kids by obstructing the algorithms.
New York's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and state legislators are on the brink of reaching a compromise on a bill that reigns in how social media platforms, like TikTok and Meta's Instagram, present content to young users. This person familiar with the situation shared this information.
Under this proposal, content on these platforms would be ranked in chronological order by default for teenage users, with algorithmically curated feeds becoming an opt-in experience that requires parental consent.
Additionally, the deal includes a separate privacy measure designed to protect children. The bill would prevent websites from collecting or sharing the personal data of users under 18 without consent, expanding upon existing federal privacy protections for children under 13.
A preliminary agreement on the social media bill was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal. However, the deal covering children's privacy had not been reported before.
In addition to modifying content presentation, the social media legislation also stipulates that parents can set harder limits on their kids' social media use, including during bedtime hours, and imposes restrictions on app notifications that are believed to keep users glued to their devices.
These two bills were initially introduced last autumn. State legislators could potentially vote on them as early as this week, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Lawmakers in New York have faced intense lobbying efforts from the tech industry, which is reminiscent of the legislative battles in states such as Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and many others that have moved to pass laws aimed at curbing social media companies' influence.
Industry groups have disputed some of these laws proposed by other states, often citing their potential violation of the First Amendment rights of teens to access lawful information. In Ohio this year, a federal judge temporarily blocked a law prohibiting online platforms from creating accounts for users under 16 without parental consent, calling the law likely unconstitutional.
Despite these efforts, New York officials maintain that their proposal is about controlling how platforms display content and doesn't restrict access.
"We're not banning young people from social media," Governor Hochul explained in an interview with NPR on Monday. "We're just saying that they shouldn't be bombarded with these feeds that can be sorted differently and in a way that's not so negative for them."
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New York's tech industry is likely to express concerns about the proposed regulations, arguing that they may impact their business operations. The compromise could lead to changes in how tech companies approach content presentation and data collection for users under 18, aligning with the broader trend of increased government scrutiny towards tech businesses.
