New York – Attorney General to Enforce $5,000-Per-Violation Penalties in New Social Media Warning-Label Law
Albany, N.Y. — Social media platforms used by New York’s young people will soon have to display warning labels about the potential mental health impact of features designed to keep users scrolling, under legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The measure, S4505/A5346, targets tools such as addictive or algorithm-driven feeds, autoplay and infinite scroll. Hochul’s office said the labels must appear when a young user first encounters a “predatory” feature and periodically afterward, and users won’t be able to bypass the warnings.
In the bill text, an “addictive social media platform” includes services where features like autoplay, infinite scroll, like counts and push notifications are a significant part of the experience. The state attorney general is authorized to enforce the law through civil actions and seek penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, along with other relief.
State officials pointed to federal public health findings linking heavy social media use to higher risks of anxiety and depression, including research cited by the U.S. Surgeon General showing that children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems.
What parents can do now: consider turning off autoplay, muting nonessential notifications, and setting device-level screen-time limits, then talk with teens about how certain features affect mood and sleep.
Next steps will come through rule-making: the mental health commissioner, consulting the health and education commissioners, is directed to design the warning label text and rules on timing and display. The law takes effect 180 days after the attorney general issues implementing regulations.
This article was produced by a education parenting today journalist with the assistance of AI. This is not legal advice. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
Source: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-legislation-require-warning-labels-social-media-platforms
