New York is Stepping Up to Protect Children Online

By Letitia James | October 28, 2024


We see the dangers of social media every day. Many of us have experienced the trap of addictive algorithms and the endless scrolling they promote. For adults, it can certainly be problematic. For young people, it is dangerously toxic.

Young people are also spending more time online than ever before. That is no accident.

For years now, social media companies have been hard at work crafting algorithms perfectly primed to hook young kids. They get children addicted to their platform, and then profit off the increased ad revenue – and the sale of kids’ personal information.

Meanwhile, young people across New York state, the nation, and the globe are struggling. Children and teens are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis and studies show that social media is a major reason for that fact.

Social media companies are not ignorant to this reality. They are well aware of the youth mental health crisis. They know that their algorithms are toxic, especially to young and developing minds. Their plausible deniability is long gone, yet they refuse to act. Why? Because their business model relies on these practices.

We don’t tolerate companies pumping dangerous toxins or addictive drugs into our children. Why should we tolerate social media companies using their addictive algorithmic feeds on children?

In New York, we have made it a priority to take this issue on. As the state’s Attorney General, I am proud that our efforts have become the gold standard for other states to follow. From suing Meta and TikTok for harming children, to leading 42 states in a call for congressional action, to advancing marquee child online safety laws, we are tackling this issue on all fronts.

With our nation-leading legislation, sponsored by Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Rozic and signed into law this summer by Governor Hochul, we are ensuring that social media companies are subject to appropriate guardrails, regulation, and oversight. My office is currently drafting rules that will help prevent online companies from pushing the most dangerous and exploitative aspects of their sites onto young kids. Our rules will mean that companies and websites will not be able to monetize kids’ private information. And we are also working tirelessly to ensure that social media companies will no longer be able to hook kids on their products using problematic, addictive feeds – a practice that they are well aware is dangerous for young minds.

When my office helped draft and support the recently passed children’s online safety laws, it was my hope that other states would see what New York is doing in this space and take our good ideas for their own. Thankfully, that is precisely what has happened, and we’ve already seen bills modeled directly on New York’s law being advanced in other statehouses. That is what happens when New York steps up to lead: other states follow, and all of our kids will be better protected as a result.

Now, as we move forward with the rulemaking process, we know that New York has an opportunity to set an important example for the rest of the country. That is why we have worked hard to get this process off to a speedy start, with an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking publicized in August, just weeks after the bills were signed into law. This gave stakeholders, from big companies to individual families, and everyone in between, the opportunity to offer their views and insights into what the rules to protect children from the worst parts of social media should include.

We also understand that the priority must be to get these rules right. That is why we want to speak to anyone and everyone who wants to be heard on this critical issue. We know that this is a defining moment for our state and our nation. We know that these rules will be the main source of protection for millions of children and teens online. This is an existential fight for the safety and well-being of young people everywhere. Our kids deserve better. It is on us to deliver for them.

Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the state of New York.