???? New York Seeks to Ban Algorithmic Feeds for Teens! ??????
Hold onto your devices, folks, because New York is turning up the parental control settings to the max! ???? Amid rising concerns about the impact of social media on young minds, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is spearheading a digital detox for teens. Today, she signed both the “Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids” and the Child Data Protection Act. ?????
The Deets:
The SAFE for Kids act aims to “prohibit social media platforms from providing an addictive feed to children younger than 18 without parental consent.” ?????? This means your favorite endless scrolling sessions could soon come with a parental permission slip. ??
What’s an "Addictive Feed" Anyway?
Glad you asked! ??
"Addictive feeds" are those sneaky, never-ending streams of personalized content crafted by algorithms to keep you hooked. Think of them as the digital equivalent of Pringles—once you pop, you can’t stop! ???? They analyze your every click, like, and linger to predict what you’ll love (and keep you scrolling for hours). ???♂???
But don’t just take my word for it, here’s a snippet straight from the bill:
“Addictive feeds are a relatively new technology used principally by social media companies. They started being used on social media platforms in 2011, and have become the primary way that people experience social media. As addictive feeds have proliferated, companies have developed sophisticated machine learning algorithms that automatically process data about the behavior of users, including not just what they formally ‘like’ but tens or hundreds of thousands of data points such as how long a user spent looking at a particular post. The machine learning algorithms then make predictions about mood and what is most likely to keep each of us engaged for as long as possible, creating a feed tailor-made to keep each of us on the platform at the cost of everything else.”
What's Changing? ??
If these new regulations go through (and that’s a big “if” ??), social media platforms in New York would need to offer teens an alternative, algorithm-free version of their apps. A manual mode for your social media experience—how retro! ???
Additionally, social platforms won’t be able to send notifications to minors between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM. So, teens can finally sleep without the constant buzz of “New Like!” or “You’re Tagged!” ????
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Why the Fuss?
It’s all about protecting young minds from the potential harms of social media. Studies have shown that endless scrolling can negatively impact mental health, with issues like negative comparison and cyberbullying topping the list of concerns. ????
Meta (you know, the artist formerly known as Facebook) even did its own research that Instagram can worsen body image issues among teens. ???? They later tried to backtrack, but the damage was done.
The Bigger Picture ??
New York isn’t the only state playing digital hall monitor. ??? Florida now requires parental consent for teens to have social media accounts, and Maryland is looking to limit data collection from young users. ?????♀?
This patchwork of state laws might seem like overkill, but it’s a direct response to what many see as a lack of action at the federal level. Unlike Europe, which has broad, EU-wide regulations, the U.S. is still figuring things out state by state. ???????
What’s Next? ???
Ideally, we need national regulations to streamline these protections. Think national age verification standards, rules on algorithm use, and notification restrictions. The Senate is discussing more comprehensive measures, but until then, states are filling the gap. ?????
In the meantime, let’s watch how these proposals pan out. Will they protect our kids or cause a digital rebellion? Only time (and probably a lot of angry tweets) will tell! ?????
Stay tuned, stay informed, and maybe take a break from that feed now and then! ????