The latest bill is reported to have children attain parental permission if they wish to continue using these platforms which are based on algorithmic feeds.
The current bill in discussion has already attained support from the state’s governor as well as the state attorney general. And it’s being dubbed SAFE so far which represents stopping addictive feeds exploitation among young minds.
The news was first broken by tech media outlet Engadget who says such apps having algorithms are a walking red flag for young kids and they literary hunt for kids and single them out to carry out exploitation of the worst kind.
Moreover, her statement called for support on this front and further for adults to ensure kids remain protected and not become villainized by the modern world of technology which is preying on youngsters as we speak.
This is not the first time that we have heard about such concerns regarding children. So many lawmakers in today’s day and age are said to have had enough and they keep on going back to the literature to prove how such apps are linked to bad mental health in kid’s minds. Similarly, they highlight how it leads to poor sleep quality in youngsters, especially when it’s used excessively.
Referring to the matter as a complete mental health conflict where young minds are being taken advantage of, the state’s Attorney General said it’s time the right steps were taken. As it is, New Yorkers are called out for having alarming levels of both anxiety as well as depression. Moreover, so many social media firms are using features that children find addictive, and that makes them stick to such platforms for a longer period of time.
Hence, it appears like this bill is coming at the right time while others argue it was a long time coming and perhaps may have been better if introduced before. Whatever the case may be, it’s a relief and will tackle the major risks linked to social media targeting kids and protecting privacy.
Such bills will also further enforce social media platforms to include additional kinds of parental control that disable alerts for any notifications generated between midnight and early morning hours. At the same time, it would include restrictions in the form of limits on how much screen time can be attained. Lastly, it would bar access to them during the midnight to early morning hours so kids can do what they’re supposed to and that is rest in this period.
The new law is getting sponsored by many of the state’s senators and they vow to introduce it as early as the start of next year.
But we are not surprised to see how leading social media app firms like Meta and even TikTok are speaking up against it. Moreover, they argue how it limits freedom of speech and steals kids of the chance to become a huge part of leading communities found on these online forums.
However, New York isn’t the first state to roll out such laws that need parental consent to use social media apps by users who are below the age of 18.
The same was done by Utah during this year’s start where anyone falling in this age bracket would need consent from either parents or guardians to produce the right profile on social media.
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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
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