Governor Hochul hosts roundtable meeting on nation leading proposal to protect kids online

ALBANY, NY- Governor Kathy Hochul has hosted a roundtable with parents from Common Sense Media to discuss her nation-leading proposal to protect children and teens online.

The Governor’s proposal will help protect kids from predators, scammers and harmful AI chatbots on online platforms.

This proposal builds on Governor Hochul’s nation-leading work to enact social media warning labels, restrict addictive feeds, create safeguards against harmful AI companions and restrict smartphones in schools.

The Governor’s proposed legislative package to keep kids safe from emerging threats on social media and online gaming platforms includes:

Expanding Age Verification: Expanding requirements for platforms to conduct age verification, including online gaming platforms.

Privacy by Default: Kids will be set to the highest privacy settings on covered platforms by default, meaning non-connections cannot message kids, view their profile, or tag them in content. Location settings will be turned off by default, and children younger than 13 must receive parental approval for new connections.

Disabling AI Chatbot Features: Disabling certain AI chatbot features on social media platforms for kids.

Financial Oversight: Parents must be able to set limits on children’s financial transactions, and view transaction history

“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.”

New York State Capitol image.