New York will require major social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to display mental health warning labels, under a new law targeting features designed to encourage prolonged use.
Features like infinite scrolling, auto-play, and algorithmic feeds are part of the focus, which clearly implicates platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. It was announced by NY Governor Kathy Hochul, and applies to platforms operating within the state.
The law covers services that use what the legislation defines as addictive feeds, including auto-play video and endless scrolling. Platforms will be required to show warning labels highlighting potential risks to young users’ mental health when these features are present.
Enforcement powers sit with the state attorney general, who can bring civil action and seek penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, Reuters reports.
“About half of adolescents claim that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies, and teenagers with the highest levels of social media use are nearly twice as likely to rate their overall mental health as poor or very poor,” Governor Hochul’s office said in a press release.
The Governor added that the warnings are intended to function similarly to labels used on other consumer products. In her announcement, she compared them to tobacco warnings about cancer risk and plastic packaging labels that caution about suffocation hazards for children.
California and Minnesota have enacted similar measures, while Australia introduced a nationwide ban on social media use for children under 16.
Major platforms potentially impacted by the New York law include TikTok, Snap, Meta, and Alphabet.
