Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers in Albany are expected to pass a bill that will block addictive social media algorithms from targeting minors.
If passed, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (Safe) for Kids Act, will only show newsfeed content in chronological order, rather than algorithm-generated content, for anyone under 18. It will also block social media apps from sending notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. ET, unless parents directly opt in.
New York Assemblyman Angelo Morinello feels it's incredibly important for this bill to pass, because it protects minors from forming a social media addiction and preventing them from seeing potentially harmful material.
"I believe that it will pass. The reasoning is, we are seeing an increase of mental health issues with our young children," said Morinello in an interview with WBEN. "The reports and the evidence seems to indicate, and go towards the fact, that they are constantly being bombarded on social feeds, which affect them, and there's no filters on them."
Albany insider Jack O'Donnell explained that passing this bill is a step in the right direction. However, he acknowledges that this is an incredibly complex situation that requires more research and time to fully understand.
"This is a really complicated issue, and I don't think this is going to be the end of the road. I think one of the other big pieces of pushback from the social media companies is that it's really hard to regulate this on a state-by-state basis and that we need federal action," stated O'Donnell with WBEN. "I think that's probably right, but the reality is, nothing's getting done in Washington and certainly not something this complicated."