FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@kidscodecoalition.org

ALBANY – Members of the Kids Code Coalition applauded Senator Andrew Gounardes’s introduction today of the New York Social Media Warning Label Act, which joins the current session’s New York Children’s Online Safety Act in representing a major opportunity to advance groundbreaking design-based kids’ online safety legislation.

“Social media warning labels aren’t just common sense – they’re an important part of an overall toolkit that will help New Yorkers understand and better manage how these platforms affect their lives. We are committed to supporting both of these policy efforts from Senator Gounardes to cultivate a digital world that puts young users back in control of their online experience,” said Common Sense Media’s Liz Foley, Senior Director of Advocacy Campaigns.

The bills represent an opportunity to build on the leadership New York showed last year by enacting the SAFE for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act, first-in-the-nation laws spearheaded by Senator Gounardes and Attorney General Letitia James to create critical online protections for New York’s 4 million kids and teens.

“From toys to food, we have regulations in place to keep children safe. Why should social media products be any different? Social media platforms remain completely unregulated at the national level, which is why it’s so important that state leaders here in New York are showing that these platforms can and must be held accountable for child safety,” said MAMA (Mothers Against Media Addiction) founder Julie Scelfo.

“We applaud the leadership of state leaders in New York and across the country who are pushing forward to hold tech companies accountable for exploiting young people, and stand united against Big Tech’s unrelenting attacks on any and all attempts to improve online safety and save kids’ lives,” said The Tech Oversight Project Executive Director Sacha Haworth.

“Parents and families need and deserve support helping kids navigate today’s online world safely, and we’re encouraged that these bills will spread much-needed awareness about the risks these platforms expose kids to every day and give us more tools to keep them safe,” said Ailen Arreaza, Executive Director of ParentsTogether Action.

“We applaud New York’s leadership and encourage broad bipartisan support for social media warning labels, which have already been embraced by 42 state attorneys general and Members of Congress from both parties,” said former Congressman Dick Gephardt, co-chair of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media.

“With the addictive design of social media linked to alarming rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide, parents and families deserve clear, actionable information to safeguard kids’ and teens’ well-being. Warning labels are a trusted, effective public health tool with a long track record of raising awareness about risks – especially among young people,” said SAVE – Suicide Awareness Voices of Education Chief Executive Officer Erich Mische.

The Kids Code Coalition is a wide-ranging group of national and state-based organizations dedicated to improving youth online security and privacy by supporting policies that ensure companies prioritize kids’ and teens’ safety and developmental needs when designing digital platforms and products. Earlier this week, the Coalition applauded the introduction of age-appropriate design code bills in states across the country for 2025 legislative sessions and decried Big Tech’s lawsuit against Maryland’s 2024 Kids Code.

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