Colton praises governor’s bills to protect families on social media

June 21, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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SOUTHERN BROOKLYN — Following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s bill-signing on Thursday, June 20, that enacted a law protecting kids from social media marketing manipulation and online predators, State Assemblymember William Colton (D-47) praised the new law, of which he was a sponsor. The groundbreaking Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) For Kids Act limits the ability of social media companies to flood the feeds of minor users with addictive posts. The New York Child Data Protection Act prohibits those companies from collecting, using, sharing or selling the personal data of children under the age of 18 unless there is informed parental consent or unless, according to the bill, such actions are “strictly necessary” to fulfill the website’s purpose. The SAFE Act bars such companies as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat from overwhelming children with algorithmically-driven feeds that keep them scrolling unless parents have given permission, and it “aims to break the cycle of endless scrolling, which can replace healthy activities during a child’s free time or time when they should be doing schoolwork,” said Colton, who was an educator before running for elected office.

Preventing social media companies from data mining will benefit families, said Assemblyman Colton. “This will protect their personal information, which unfortunately is sought after by many unscrupulous individuals, and which can be used in harmful ways.”

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