Governor Kathy Hochul has signed new legislation that will require social media platforms to display warning labels about the potential mental health risks of certain features for young users. The law, identified as S4505/A5346, targets platforms that use addictive feeds, auto play, or infinite scroll functions.
According to Governor Hochul, “Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use. New Yorkers deserve transparency. With the amount of information that can be shared online, it is essential that we prioritize mental health and take the steps necessary to ensure that people are aware of any potential risks.”
The new requirement comes amid increasing concern over youth mental health and follows recent studies indicating adolescents who spend more than three hours daily on social media are at double the risk for anxiety and depression. About half of surveyed adolescents report feeling worse about their bodies due to social media exposure, while teenagers with high levels of usage are nearly twice as likely to rate their overall mental health as poor or very poor.
Warning labels are already common in other sectors such as tobacco products, food packaging, alcohol, and video games to communicate various health risks. This law aims to bring similar transparency to digital platforms by mandating warnings when young users first encounter predatory features and periodically during continued use. The legislation specifies that these warnings cannot be bypassed or dismissed by clicking through.
Assemblymember Nily Rozic commented on the measure: “New York families deserve honesty about how social media platforms impact mental health. By requiring warning labels based on the latest medical research, this law puts public health first and finally gives us the tools we need to make informed decisions. I’m proud to sponsor this legislation alongside Senator Gounardes as part of our broader effort to create a safer digital environment for kids.”
