Restricts youth sports operators and youth sports facilities from prohibiting parents and guardians from taking in-person recordings or photographs of their children; allows youth sports operators and youth sports facilities to impose limited safety-based content restrictions; requires youth sports operators and youth sports facilities to give notice to parents and guardians regarding their rights to take in-person recordings or photographs.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9627
SPONSOR: Woerner TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to restricting
youth sports operators and youth sports facilities from prohibiting
parents and guardians from taking in-person recordings or photographs of
their children
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To protect the right of parents and guardians to take in-person photo-
graphs and video recordings of their own children at youth sports
events, while allowing reasonable, safetybased restrictions.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill amends the General Business Law by adding a new Article 41-A
governing youth sports facilities and youth sports operators. The bill
prohibits such facilities and operators from banning or restricting
parents or guardians from taking in-person photographs or video
recordings of their own children during youth sports events. Specif-
ically, the bill prevents facilities and operators from requiring
parents to purchase photography or video services as a condition of
recording their child, conditioning a child's participation or a
parent's admission on waiving recording rights, or confiscating or disa-
bling personal recording devices. The bill allows reasonable, content-
neutral restrictions narrowly tailored to safety, preventing interfer-
ence with play, compliance with court orders or privacy laws, or
limiting access to restricted areas. The bill also requires facilities
and operators to post clear notice of these rights and renders unen-
forceable any contract, waiver, or policy that attempts to waive or
restrict a parent's ability to record their own child. The bill does not
prohibit facilities from offering photography or video services for
sale, provided those services are not used to limit parental rights.
JUSTIFICATION:
Parents and guardians routinely attend youth sports events to support
their children and to document important moments in their development,
In recent years, some youth sports facilities and operators have adopted
policies that prohibit or restrict parents from taking in-person photos
or videos of their own children, or that require parents to purchase
exclusive recording services to access footage. These practices can be
confusing, burdensome, and unfair to families. They may also limit
parents' ability to share memories, monitor their child's experience, or
maintain personal records of participation. This bill establishes a
clear, statewide baseline that protects parental rights while preserving
the ability of facilities and operators to impose reasonable safety-
based rules. By making these protections explicit and uniform, the bill
provides clarity for parents, facilities, and operators alike, and
ensures that families are not forced to surrender basic rights as a
condition of participation in youth sports.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9627
IN ASSEMBLY
January 21, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Economic Development
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to restricting
youth sports operators and youth sports facilities from prohibiting
parents and guardians from taking in-person recordings or photographs
of their children
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new article
2 41-A to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 41-A
4 YOUTH SPORTS
5 Section 1050. Definitions.
6 1051. Youth sports in-person recording and photography
7 restrictions.
8 § 1050. Definitions. As used in this article:
9 1. "Youth sports facility" means any indoor or outdoor venue in the
10 state of New York that hosts athletic events involving participants
11 under the age of eighteen;
12 2. "Youth sports operator" means any entity that organizes, manages,
13 or runs a youth sports event at a youth sports facility; and
14 3. "In-person recording or photography" means video or still photogra-
15 phy captured by a parent or guardian from a physical location inside the
16 youth sports facility using personal devices. "In-person recording or
17 photography" shall not include livestreaming, broadcasting, or profes-
18 sional-grade filming.
19 § 1051. Youth sports in-person recording and photography restrictions.
20 1. Youth sports facilities and youth sports operators shall not:
21 (a) prohibit or restrict a parent or guardian from taking in-person
22 video recordings or photographs of their own child;
23 (b) establish any requirement that a parent or guardian purchase video
24 services or photography, subscriptions, or other forms of access as a
25 condition of taking their own in-person recordings or photographs;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14142-01-5
A. 9627 2
1 (c) condition a child's participation, or a parent's admission or
2 continued presence at a youth sports event on waiving the ability to
3 take in-person recordings or photographs; or
4 (d) confiscate, disable, or otherwise restrict a parent's personal
5 device used for in-person recording or photography.
6 2. Youth sports facilities and youth sports operators may impose
7 reasonable, content-neutral, narrowly tailored restrictions on in-person
8 recording or photography. Such restrictions shall only be imposed for:
9 safety, preventing interference with play or obstruction of sightlines;
10 compliance with court orders or statutory privacy protections; or
11 restricting access to areas where spectators are not ordinarily allowed.
12 Such restrictions shall be written, posted, and applied uniformly.
13 3. Youth sports facilities and youth sports operators shall post a
14 brief notice informing parents and guardians of their right to take
15 in-person recordings and photographs, subject to the limited safety-
16 based restrictions of this article. Such notice shall also appear in
17 registration materials or codes of conduct.
18 4. Any contract, waiver, registration form, membership agreement,
19 league rule, or facility policy that restricts or waives the ability of
20 a parent or guardian to take in-person video recordings or photographs
21 of their own child shall be void and unenforceable as against public
22 policy.
23 5. Youth sports facilities and youth sports operators may offer
24 photography or video services for sale but shall be prohibited from
25 using such services to limit, restrict, or interfere with a parent or
26 guardian's right to take in-person recordings or photographs of their
27 own child.
28 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
29 have become a law.
