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A08148 Summary:

BILL NOA08148A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S07694-A
 
SPONSORRozic
 
COSPNSRReyes, Shimsky, Magnarelli, Hevesi, Buttenschon, Fahy, Dickens, McMahon, Glick, De Los Santos, Durso, McDonough, Gandolfo, Simon, Zaccaro, DeStefano, Wallace, Berger, Burdick, Seawright, McDonald, Beephan, Smullen, Manktelow, Ardila, Slater, Sillitti, Darling, Brown K, Epstein, Levenberg, Weprin, Bichotte Hermelyn, Lupardo, Mikulin, Paulin, Solages, Tapia, Davila, Burgos, Gunther, Taylor, Zebrowski, Rosenthal L, Jensen, Kim, Giglio JA, Rivera, Cunningham, Zinerman, Maher, Walker, Conrad, Clark, Jackson, Dais, Rajkumar, Fall, Lunsford, Forrest, Lee, Gibbs, Anderson, Lavine, Stern, Gallagher, Dinowitz, Braunstein, Jean-Pierre, Septimo, Kelles, Carroll, Mamdani, Hunter, Barrett, Bronson, Pheffer Amato, O'Donnell, Santabarbara, Cook, Burke, Aubry, Jones, Stirpe, Sayegh, Raga, Gallahan, Thiele, Alvarez, Simone, Eichenstein, Chandler-Waterman, Pretlow, Morinello, Shrestha, Eachus, Meeks, Jacobson, Brabenec, Colton, Norris, Otis, Steck, Tannousis, Walsh
 
MLTSPNSRGonzalez-Rojas, Woerner
 
Add Art 45 §§1500 - 1508, Gen Bus L
 
Establishes the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) For Kids Act prohibiting the provision of addictive feeds to minors by addictive social media platforms; establishes remedies and penalties.
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A08148 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         8148--A
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    October 13, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ROZIC,  REYES,  SHIMSKY, MAGNARELLI, HEVESI,
          BUTTENSCHON, FAHY,  DICKENS,  McMAHON,  GLICK,  DE LOS SANTOS,  DURSO,
          McDONOUGH,  GANDOLFO,  SIMON,  ZACCARO,  DeSTEFANO,  WALLACE,  BERGER,
          BURDICK, SEAWRIGHT, McDONALD,  BEEPHAN,  SMULLEN,  MANKTELOW,  ARDILA,
          SLATER,  SILLITTI,  DARLING,  K. BROWN,  EPSTEIN,  LEVENBERG,  WEPRIN,
          BICHOTTE HERMELYN, LUPARDO, MIKULIN, PAULIN, SOLAGES,  TAPIA,  DAVILA,
          BURGOS,   GUNTHER,   TAYLOR,  ZEBROWSKI,  L. ROSENTHAL,  JENSEN,  KIM,
          J. A. GIGLIO, RIVERA, CUNNINGHAM,  ZINERMAN,  MAHER,  WALKER,  CONRAD,
          CLARK,  JACKSON,  DAIS, RAJKUMAR, FALL, LUNSFORD, FORREST, LEE, GIBBS,
          ANDERSON, LAVINE, STERN, GALLAGHER, DINOWITZ, BRAUNSTEIN, JEAN-PIERRE,
          SEPTIMO,  KELLES,  CARROLL,   MAMDANI,   HUNTER,   BARRETT,   BRONSON,
          PHEFFER AMATO,  O'DONNELL,  SANTABARBARA,  COOK,  BURKE, AUBRY, JONES,
          STIRPE, SAYEGH, RAGA, GALLAHAN, THIELE, ALVAREZ, SIMONE,  EICHENSTEIN,
          CHANDLER-WATERMAN, PRETLOW, MORINELLO, SHRESTHA, EACHUS, MEEKS, JACOB-
          SON,  BRABENEC -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, WOER-
          NER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Science and Technol-
          ogy -- recommitted to the  Committee  on  Science  and  Technology  in
          accordance  with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill
          amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
          tee
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend the general business law, in relation to enacting the
          Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids act prohibiting  the
          provision of an addictive feed to a minor
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and  may  be  cited  as  the  "Stop
     2  Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids act".
     3    §  2. Legislative intent. Social media platforms automatically process
     4  enormous amounts of data about the behavior  of  users,  using  tens  or
     5  hundreds  of  thousands  of  data points for each user, filtered through
     6  sophisticated machine learning algorithms, to create media feeds person-
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11334-15-4

        A. 8148--A                          2
 
     1  alized to each user. These  feeds  are  based  on  data  that  generally
     2  includes  not  only the deliberate choices of the users, such as content
     3  they "like" or other users they "follow," but also conduct the user  may
     4  not  even  be aware of, such as how long they spent looking at a partic-
     5  ular piece of media. These feeds make predictions about interests, mood,
     6  and other factors related to what is most likely to keep  users  engaged
     7  for  as  long as possible, creating a feed tailor-made to keep each user
     8  on the platform for longer periods. Today  these  addictive  feeds  have
     9  become the primary way that people experience social media.
    10    Since  their  adoption,  addictive  feeds have had a dramatic negative
    11  effect on children and teenagers, causing young users to spend more time
    12  on social media than they  otherwise  would,  which  has  been  tied  to
    13  significantly  higher rates of youth depression, anxiety, suicidal idea-
    14  tion, and self-harm. Children are particularly susceptible to  addictive
    15  feeds  because  they  provide  a non-stop drip of dopamine with each new
    16  piece of media and because children are less capable of  exercising  the
    17  impulse  control  necessary to mitigate these negative effects. Research
    18  shows that spending time on social media is  ten  times  more  dangerous
    19  than  other  kinds  of  screentime. Among girls, the association between
    20  poor mental health and social media use is  stronger  than  the  associ-
    21  ations  between  poor mental health and binge drinking, obesity, or hard
    22  drug use.   Research also shows that social  media  usage  at  night  is
    23  particularly  harmful  to  children's  health. Self-regulation by social
    24  media companies has not and will not work because  the  addictive  feeds
    25  are profitable, designed to make users stay on services so that children
    26  can see more ads and the companies can collect more data.
    27    This  act,  therefore, prohibits social media companies from providing
    28  children under 18 with addictive feeds absent parental consent. This act
    29  will still permit minors to view non-addictive  feeds  and  any  content
    30  available on a social media platform, such as feeds listed in chronolog-
    31  ical  order, to ensure that children can still obtain all the core bene-
    32  fits of social media, and does not limit social media companies' ability
    33  to moderate in good faith to protect children from harmful or  otherwise
    34  objectionable  content.  Moreover,  this act only imposes obligations on
    35  social media companies where the addictive feed is a significant part of
    36  their platform, and not on online services that provide  such  feeds  as
    37  ancillary  features  or  add-ons,  or  where users are on the feed for a
    38  relatively small portion of their time using the service.
    39    To limit access to addictive feeds, this act will require social media
    40  companies to use commercially reasonable methods to determine user  age.
    41  Regulations  by  the  attorney  general  will provide guidance, but this
    42  flexible standard will be based on the totality  of  the  circumstances,
    43  including the size, financial resources, and technical capabilities of a
    44  given social media company, and the costs and effectiveness of available
    45  age determination techniques for users of a given social media platform.
    46  For  example,  if  a social media company is technically and financially
    47  capable of effectively determining the age of a user based on its exist-
    48  ing data concerning that user, it  may  be  commercially  reasonable  to
    49  present  that  as  an  age  determination  option to users. Although the
    50  legislature considered a statutory  mandate  for  companies  to  respect
    51  automated  browser  or device signals whereby users can inform a covered
    52  operator that they are a covered minor, we determined that the  attorney
    53  general  would  already  have  discretion  to  promulgate such a mandate
    54  through its rulemaking authority related to commercially reasonable  and
    55  technologically  feasible  age  determination  methods.  The legislature
    56  believes that such a mandate can  be  more  effectively  considered  and

        A. 8148--A                          3
 
     1  tailored through that rulemaking process. Existing New York antidiscrim-
     2  ination  laws  and  the  attorney  general's  regulations  will require,
     3  regardless, that social media companies provide a range of age verifica-
     4  tion  methods  all  New  Yorkers can use, and will not use age assurance
     5  methods that rely solely on biometrics or require government identifica-
     6  tion that many New Yorkers do not possess.
     7    § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new article 45 to
     8  read as follows:
     9                                 ARTICLE 45
    10                              SAFE FOR KIDS ACT
    11  Section 1500. Definitions.
    12          1501. Prohibition of addictive feeds.
    13          1502. Overnight notifications.
    14          1503. Parental control.
    15          1504. Nondiscrimination.
    16          1505. Rulemaking authority.
    17          1506. Language access.
    18          1507. Scope.
    19          1508. Remedies.
    20    § 1500. Definitions. For the purposes of this article,  the  following
    21  terms shall have the following meanings:
    22    1.  "Addictive  feed"  shall  mean  a  website, online service, online
    23  application, or mobile application,  or  a  portion  thereof,  in  which
    24  multiple  pieces  of  media  generated  or shared by users of a website,
    25  online  service,  online  application,  or  mobile  application,  either
    26  concurrently  or sequentially, are recommended, selected, or prioritized
    27  for display to a user based, in whole or in part, on information associ-
    28  ated with the user or the user's device, unless  any  of  the  following
    29  conditions are met, alone or in combination with one another:
    30    (a)  the  recommendation,  prioritization,  or  selection  is based on
    31  information that is not persistently associated with the user or  user's
    32  device, and does not concern the user's previous interactions with media
    33  generated or shared by other users;
    34    (b) the recommendation, prioritization, or selection is based on user-
    35  selected  privacy  or  accessibility  settings, or technical information
    36  concerning the user's device;
    37    (c) the user expressly and unambiguously requested the specific media,
    38  media by the author, creator, or poster of media the user has subscribed
    39  to, or media shared by users to a page or group the user has  subscribed
    40  to, provided that the media is not recommended, selected, or prioritized
    41  for  display based, in whole or in part, on other information associated
    42  with the user or the user's device that  is  not  otherwise  permissible
    43  under this subdivision;
    44    (d)  the  user  expressly  and  unambiguously  requested that specific
    45  media, media by a specified author, creator, or poster of media the user
    46  has subscribed to, or media shared by users to a page or group the  user
    47  has  subscribed  to  pursuant  to  paragraph (c) of this subdivision, be
    48  blocked, prioritized or deprioritized for  display,  provided  that  the
    49  media is not recommended, selected, or prioritized for display based, in
    50  whole  or  in part, on other information associated with the user or the
    51  user's device that is not otherwise permissible under this subdivision;
    52    (e) the media are direct and private communications;
    53    (f) the media  are  recommended,  selected,  or  prioritized  only  in
    54  response to a specific search inquiry by the user;

        A. 8148--A                          4
 
     1    (g)  the  media  recommended,  selected, or prioritized for display is
     2  exclusively next in a pre-existing sequence from the same author,  crea-
     3  tor, poster, or source; or
     4    (h)  the  recommendation, prioritization, or selection is necessary to
     5  comply with the provisions of this article and any  regulations  promul-
     6  gated pursuant to this article.
     7    2.  "Addictive  social  media  platform"  shall mean a website, online
     8  service, online application,  or  mobile  application,  that  offers  or
     9  provides  users  an addictive feed as a significant part of the services
    10  provided by such website, online service, online application, or  mobile
    11  application.
    12    3.  "Covered  minor"  shall  mean a user of a website, online service,
    13  online application, or mobile application in New York when the  operator
    14  has actual knowledge the user is a minor.
    15    4.  "Covered  user"  shall  mean  a user of a website, online service,
    16  online application, or mobile application in New York, not acting as  an
    17  operator, or agent or affiliate of the operator, of such website, online
    18  service, online application, or mobile application, or any portion ther-
    19  eof.
    20    5. "Media" shall mean text, an image, or a video.
    21    6. "Minor" shall mean an individual under the age of eighteen.
    22    7.  "Covered operator" shall mean any person, business, or other legal
    23  entity, who operates or provides an addictive social media platform.
    24    8. "Parent" shall mean parent or legal guardian.
    25    § 1501. Prohibition of addictive feeds. 1. It shall be unlawful for  a
    26  covered operator to provide an addictive feed to a covered user unless:
    27    (a)  the covered operator has used commercially reasonable and techni-
    28  cally feasible methods to determine that  the  covered  user  is  not  a
    29  covered minor; or
    30    (b)  the  covered operator has obtained verifiable parental consent to
    31  provide an addictive feed to a covered minor.
    32    2. (a) The attorney general shall promulgate  regulations  identifying
    33  commercially  reasonable  and  technically  feasible methods for covered
    34  operators to determine if a covered user is  a  covered  minor  required
    35  pursuant to subdivision one of this section, and any exceptions thereto.
    36    (b)  In  promulgating  such  regulations,  the  attorney general shall
    37  consider the size, financial resources, and  technical  capabilities  of
    38  the  addictive  social  media  platform,  the costs and effectiveness of
    39  available age determination techniques for users of the addictive social
    40  media platform, the audience of the  addictive  social  media  platform,
    41  prevalent  practices  of  the  industry of the covered operator, and the
    42  impact of the age determination techniques on the covered users' safety,
    43  utility, and experience.
    44    (c) Such regulations shall also identify  the  appropriate  levels  of
    45  accuracy  that would be commercially reasonable and technically feasible
    46  for covered operators to achieve in determining whether a  covered  user
    47  is  a  covered  minor. Such regulations shall set forth multiple commer-
    48  cially reasonable and technically feasible methods for a covered  opera-
    49  tor  to  determine  if  a  covered user is a covered minor, including at
    50  least one method that either does not rely solely on  government  issued
    51  identification or that allows a covered user to maintain anonymity as to
    52  the covered operator of the addictive social media platform.
    53    (d)  Where  a  covered  operator  has used commercially reasonable and
    54  technically feasible age determination methods in compliance  with  such
    55  regulations  and  has  not  determined  that a covered user is a covered
    56  minor, the covered operator shall operate under the presumption that the

        A. 8148--A                          5

     1  covered user is not a covered minor for the purposes  of  this  article,
     2  unless  it  obtains  actual knowledge that the covered user is a covered
     3  minor.
     4    3.  Information  collected  for  the  purpose of determining a covered
     5  user's age under paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section  shall
     6  not  be  used  for any purpose other than age determination and shall be
     7  deleted immediately after an attempt to determine a covered user's  age,
     8  except  where necessary for compliance with any applicable provisions of
     9  New York state or federal law or regulation.
    10    4. The attorney general shall promulgate regulations identifying meth-
    11  ods of obtaining verifiable parental consent pursuant to  paragraph  (b)
    12  of  subdivision  one  of this section and section fifteen hundred two of
    13  this article.
    14    5. Information collected for the purpose of obtaining such  verifiable
    15  parental  consent shall not be used for any purpose other than obtaining
    16  verifiable parental consent and shall be deleted  immediately  after  an
    17  attempt  to  obtain verifiable  parental consent, except where necessary
    18  for compliance with any applicable  provisions  of  New  York  state  or
    19  federal law or regulation.
    20    6.  Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring any opera-
    21  tor to give a parent who grants verifiable parental  consent  any  addi-
    22  tional  or  special  access  to  or control over the data or accounts of
    23  their child.
    24    7. Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing any action
    25  taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of media  that
    26  the  covered operator considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy,
    27  excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable,  whether  or
    28  not such material is constitutionally protected.
    29    §  1502. Overnight notifications. It shall be unlawful for the covered
    30  operator of an addictive social media platform to, between the hours  of
    31  12  AM Eastern and 6 AM Eastern, send notifications concerning an addic-
    32  tive feed to a covered minor unless the operator has obtained verifiable
    33  parental consent to send such nighttime notifications.
    34    § 1503. Parental control. Nothing in this article shall  be  construed
    35  as  requiring the operator of an addictive social media platform to give
    36  a parent any additional or special access to or control over the data or
    37  accounts of their child.
    38    § 1504. Nondiscrimination. A  covered  operator  shall  not  withhold,
    39  degrade,  lower  the  quality,  or  increase  the  price of any product,
    40  service, or feature, other than as necessary  for  compliance  with  the
    41  provisions  of  this  article  or  any  rules or regulations promulgated
    42  pursuant to this article, to a covered user due to the covered  operator
    43  not  being  permitted  to provide an addictive feed to such covered user
    44  under subdivision one of section fifteen hundred one of this article.
    45    § 1505. Rulemaking authority. The attorney  general  shall  promulgate
    46  such  rules  and  regulations as are necessary to effectuate and enforce
    47  the provisions of this article.
    48    § 1506.  Language access. 1. Instructions to parents on how to provide
    49  verifiable parental consent under paragraph (b) of  subdivision  one  of
    50  section  fifteen hundred one of this article shall be made  available in
    51  no fewer than the twelve most commonly  spoken  languages  in  New  York
    52  state consistent with section two hundred two-a of the executive law and
    53  as further  defined by regulations promulgated by the attorney general.
    54    2.  The  attorney  general shall ensure that any public information or
    55  guidance that it may provide concerning this chapter is available in the
    56  twelve most commonly spoken languages in New  York state consistent with

        A. 8148--A                          6
 
     1  section two hundred two-a of the executive law and as further defined by
     2  regulations promulgated by the attorney general.
     3    §  1507.  Scope. 1. This article shall apply to conduct that occurs in
     4  whole or in part in New York. For  purposes  of  this  article,  conduct
     5  takes  place  wholly  outside  of New York if the addictive social media
     6  platform is accessed by a user who is physically located outside of  New
     7  York.
     8    2.  Nothing in this article shall be construed to impose liability for
     9  commercial activities or actions by operators subject  to  15  U.S.C.  §
    10  6501  that  is  inconsistent  with  the  treatment of such activities or
    11  actions under 15 U.S.C. § 6502.
    12    § 1508. Remedies. 1.  No earlier than one hundred  eighty  days  after
    13  the  effective date of this article, whenever it appears to the attorney
    14  general, either upon complaint or otherwise, that any person, within  or
    15  outside  the  state,  has engaged in or is about to engage in any of the
    16  acts or practices stated to be unlawful in this  article,  the  attorney
    17  general  may  bring  an  action or special proceeding in the name and on
    18  behalf of the people of the state of New York to enjoin any violation of
    19  this article, to obtain restitution of any moneys or  property  obtained
    20  directly  or indirectly by any such violation, to obtain disgorgement of
    21  any profits or  gains  obtained  directly  or  indirectly  by  any  such
    22  violation,  including  but  not limited to the destruction of unlawfully
    23  obtained data, to obtain damages caused directly or  indirectly  by  any
    24  such violation, to obtain civil penalties of up to five thousand dollars
    25  per  violation,  and  to obtain any such other and further relief as the
    26  court may deem proper, including preliminary relief.
    27    2.  The  attorney  general  shall  maintain  a  website   to   receive
    28  complaints, information or referrals from members of the public concern-
    29  ing  a  covered operator's or social media platform's alleged compliance
    30  or non-compliance with the provisions of this article.
    31    § 4. Severability.  If any clause, sentence,  paragraph,  subdivision,
    32  section  or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent
    33  jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,  impair,  or
    34  invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation
    35  to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part thereof
    36  directly  involved  in the controversy in which such judgment shall have
    37  been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the legislature
    38  that this act would have been enacted even if  such  invalid  provisions
    39  had not been included herein.
    40    § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    41  the  office  of  the  attorney  general shall promulgate rules and regu-
    42  lations necessary to effectuate the provisions  of  this  act;  provided
    43  that  the  office  of  the attorney general shall notify the legislative
    44  bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of  the  enactment  of  the
    45  rules   and  regulations    necessary  to  effectuate  and  enforce  the
    46  provisions of section three of this act in order that the commission may
    47  maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text
    48  of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating  the
    49  provisions  of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the
    50  public officers law.  Effective  immediately,  the  addition,  amendment
    51  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
    52  of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to be made and
    53  completed on or before such effective date.
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