New York is taking aim at the features that keep users glued to their screens for hours, with a new law requiring major platforms to display mental health warnings when certain design elements are in use.
According to sources, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation that targets what officials describe as features engineered to encourage prolonged engagement, including infinite scrolling, auto-play video, and algorithmic content feeds. The law applies to any platform operating in New York that uses these mechanisms, putting companies like TikTok, Instagram, Meta, Snap, and Alphabet directly in the crosshairs.
Under the new requirements, platforms must show warning labels to young users about potential mental health risks associated with these features. The labels will appear when a young person first encounters the feature and periodically after that, based on continued usage. Unlike typical pop-up warnings that can be quickly dismissed, users won’t be able to bypass or click through these notices.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use,” Governor Hochul said. “New Yorkers deserve transparency. With the amount of information that can be shared online, it is essential that we prioritize mental health and take the steps necessary to ensure that people are aware of any potential risks.”
The governor’s office pointed to concerning research showing that adolescents who spend more than three hours daily on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression compared to their peers who use it less frequently.
“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,” according to a statement from Governor Hochul’s office.
The approach mirrors warning systems already required on consumer products ranging from tobacco packages to plastic bags, video games with flashing lights, and high-sugar food items. Governor Hochul drew explicit comparisons to these existing safety measures, noting that warnings about cancer risk on cigarettes and suffocation hazards on packaging serve similar protective purposes.
New York’s attorney general will handle enforcement, with authority to pursue civil action against non-compliant platforms. Companies found in breach of the law could face penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, according to Reuters.
Assemblymember Nily Rozic, who sponsored the legislation alongside Senator Gounardes, framed the measure as a transparency issue. “New York families deserve honesty about how social media platforms impact mental health. By requiring warning labels based on the latest medical research, this law puts public health first and finally gives us the tools we need to make informed decisions,” Rozic said.
The legislation represents the latest in a growing movement among states to regulate social media’s impact on young people. California and Minnesota have passed similar measures, while Australia took an even more restrictive approach by implementing a nationwide ban on social media use for anyone under 16.
The focus on features like endless scrolling and auto-play reflects mounting concerns about how platforms are designed. These elements create what critics describe as environments optimized for extended engagement rather than user well-being, with algorithms learning to serve increasingly personalized content that keeps people scrolling.
New York’s law doesn’t ban these features outright but instead requires platforms to be transparent about their presence and potential impact.
