New York to require social media platforms to display mental health labels

A new state law mandates warnings for young users on platforms with features that ‘encourage excessive use’.

The state of New York will require social media platforms with infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithmic feeds to display labels about their potential harm to young users’ mental health, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced.

Hochul on Friday signed a bill that mandates the warning against “addictive” features into law.

“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,” Hochul said in a statement.

The governor compared the social media labels to warnings on other products like tobacco, which communicate the risk of cancer, or plastic packaging, which warn of the risk of suffocation for small children.

“Research shows that social media exposure overstimulates reward centers, creating pathways comparable to those of an individual experiencing substance use or gambling addictions,” the law reads.

If social media platforms breach the regulations when they go into effect, the state attorney general would be able to take legal action and seek civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.

The law would apply to conduct occurring partly or wholly in New York but not when the platform is accessed by users physically outside the state.

Spokespeople for TikTok, Snap, Meta and Alphabet have not yet issued statements reacting to the new law.

Through this social media measure, New York is set to join other states in the United States like California and Minnesota that have similar social media laws for young users.

The effect of social media on children’s mental health has become a growing global concern, and some US school districts have already begun suing social media companies.

This month, Australia went a step further and banned children under 16 years old from using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit.

Countries like Malaysia and Denmark have signalled plans to introduce similar bans in the near future while countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and France have tightened social media laws for young users.