Last June 7th, TheNew York State Assembly approved a restrictive law against social networks. This prohibits the use of recommendation algorithms that deal with content that can create forms of addiction in children.
We are talking about the bill known as Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE), which effectively prohibits social platforms from offering users advertising that could introduce them to addictions.
The SAFE, in fact, should influence the feeds of younger users by carrying out a careful analysis of them. In the event of a violation, New York State may require a correction of the algorithms (to be carried out in 30 days) and, if this does not happen, sanction the offending platform with a fine that it can reach up to $5,000 for each minor reached by this advertising feed.
This initiative is only the latest in a long series implemented in the United States to control and limit the use of social networks by younger users. Initiatives similar to SAFE have already been undertaken California and, it seems, they will soon be followed by other similar regulations.
The United States is moving to limit social media, but not everyone is thrilled about it
Social networks, for their part, are certainly not satisfied with these moves. NetChoicea group that represents the main tech companies (such as Google, Meta e TikTok) has challenged several state laws in court over the past two years as violating the First Amendmentarguing their unconstitutionality.
However, there are also other voices that criticize the actions of individual states and the American government on this issue. For Evan GreerDirector of Fight for the Future (non-profit group for the defense of digital rights), these initiatives are anything but positive and leverage the common desire to defend children for political purposes.
On the other hand there are also associations that defend SAFE, such as Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), an initiative carried out by former New York Times reporter Julie Scelfo. The same, in no uncertain terms, speaks of a real “National emergency” regarding the mental health of young people.