Governor Kathy Hochul held a roundtable with parents from Common Sense Media to discuss her latest proposal aimed at increasing online safety for children and teens. The initiative seeks to address risks such as online predators, scammers, and harmful artificial intelligence chatbots on digital platforms.
“With evolving technology and online platforms allowing people to connect from anywhere in the world, it is important now more than ever to keep our kids safe online from any and all potential harms,” Governor Hochul said. “This common-sense proposal will not only protect our children online, but also offer parents a peace of mind while their kids are gaming and scrolling on social media.”
Liz Foley, Senior Director of Advocacy Campaigns at Common Sense Media, expressed support for the Governor’s plan. “Common Sense Media thanks Governor Hochul for her commitment to strengthening protections for kids online in New York. Headline after headline has shown us that our children’s favorite online games and social media sites have become prowling grounds for predators. Expanding age assurance, ensuring privacy by default, protecting kids from unsafe AI chatbots and giving parents more power to keep their kids safe are the safeguards families need and deserve. The governor is continuing to lead New York in the right direction for our kids.”
The legislative package introduced by Governor Hochul proposes several measures:
– Platforms would be required to expand age verification processes, including those used by online gaming services.
– Children’s accounts would be set to the highest privacy settings by default; non-connections would not be able to message or view profiles, location sharing would be disabled by default, and children under 13 would need parental approval for new connections.
– Certain AI chatbot features on social media platforms would be disabled for minors.
– Parents could set limits on financial transactions made by their children and access transaction histories.
The proposal builds upon existing state initiatives such as the SAFE for Kids Act—which restricts addictive social media features for minors—and the Child Data Protection Act that limits data collection from children without informed consent. Additional actions include legislation addressing AI companions that divert conversations about self-harm toward mental health resources, outlawing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, supporting youth programming through community infrastructure investment, implementing policies limiting smartphone use in schools, and requiring warning labels about potential mental health impacts on social media platforms.
State lawmakers voiced support for further efforts:
State Senator Andrew Gounardes stated: “The simple truth is the online platforms where our kids spend so much of their time are failing to keep them safe. If Big Tech won’t take action, we will. That’s why I fought so hard to pass the SAFE For Kids Act and Child Data Protection Act, and why we need to build on those successes with these proposals. Thanks to Governor Hochul for convening this important roundtable.”
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic commented: “New York has a responsibility to protect kids in a rapidly changing digital world. This proposal builds on our ongoing legislative efforts to safeguard children’s privacy, limit harmful AI features, and strengthen online safety. By putting young people and families first, we’re setting a national standard for what responsible, child-centered policy looks like.”
Senator Samra Brouk added: “As Chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee, I recognize that youth mental health is a crisis in New York State and we have to use evidence-based solutions to help our young people in need. Governor Hochul’s efforts to help parents protect our young people from predators, scammers and harmful AI Chatbots will help keep students safe while prioritizing learning and growth.”
Senator Kristin Gonzalez said: “Today’s generation of children is facing an unprecedented threat of exploitation from Big Tech companies’ bad practices. We’re seeing headline after headline of tragic instances resulting from kids’ unregulated and often unknowing access to AI chatbots, addictive media, and data mining. I look forward to working with the Governor to pass legislation that puts the safety of our youth first, while holding online platforms and technologies accountable for their unsafe features.”
Assemblymember Steve Otis remarked: “Governor Hochul and the legislature have led the nation in enacting policies to protect children from technologies that can interfere, manipulate, take advantage of or harm their education, growth, privacy,and autonomy.Children are especially vulnerable in a world where information about individuals is easily accessed by always evolving technologies.The Governor’s additional safeguards proposed this year are the next step forward in protecting children from these threats.”