New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill this week requiring social media platforms to display warning labels for younger users before they encounter features like autoplay and infinite scrolling. State legislators originally passed the bill, known as S4505/A5346, in June. The legislation mandates mental health warnings on platforms deemed “addictive,” which are defined as those offering an addictive feed, push notifications, autoplay, infinite scroll, or like counts as a significant part of their service. Exceptions can be made if the state attorney general determines those features serve a valid purpose unrelated to prolonging platform use.
According to the governor’s announcement, these platforms must show warnings when a young user first encounters a predatory feature and then periodically after that. The users will not be able to skip or bypass these warnings. The announcement draws a comparison between these proposed social media warnings and the warning labels found on products like tobacco, alcohol, and media containing flashing lights.
This move follows a call last year from then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who said social media platforms should add warning labels. Governor Hochul stated, “Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use.”
One of the bill’s sponsors, Assemblymember Nily Rozic, echoed this sentiment, saying, “New York families deserve honesty about how social media platforms impact mental health. By requiring warning labels based on the latest medical research, this law puts public health first and finally gives us the tools we need to make informed decisions.” Lawmakers in California have proposed similar legislation.
This action builds on previous laws passed in New York last year, which required social media platforms to obtain parental consent before showing children “addictive feeds” and before collecting or selling the personal data of users under 18. The social media warning bill is not Governor Hochul’s only recent tech regulation; she also recently signed the AI safety-focused RAISE Act.