New York Attorney General Letitia James today released proposed rules on how social media companies should restrict addictive features on their platforms to protect children’s mental health, as required by the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. The SAFE for Kids Act, championed by Attorney General James, sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Nily Rozic, and signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, requires social media companies to restrict algorithmically personalized feeds, or addictive feeds, and nighttime notifications for users under the age of 18 unless parental consent is granted. Addictive feeds and nighttime notifications are tied to depression, anxiety, eating and sleep disorders, and other mental health issues for children and teenagers. The proposed rules released today explain which companies must comply with the law and outline standards to determine users’ age and obtain parental consent. A public comment period on the proposed rules is open for 60 days.

“Children and teenagers are struggling with high rates of anxiety and depression because of addictive features on social media platforms,” said Attorney General James. “I am proud to have worked alongside Governor Hochul, Senator Gounardes, and Assemblymember Rozic to pass the nation’s strongest legislation to protect children from the dangers of social media. The proposed rules released by my office today will help us tackle the youth mental health crisis and make social media safer for kids and families. This is an issue that affects all of us, and I encourage parents, educators, young people, industry groups, and others to review the proposed rules and submit a comment during the public comment period.”