NY rules curb minors' algorithmic social feeds

New York state officials have finalized regulations for a landmark law designed to protect minors from addictive social media features, setting the stage for a major shift in how young people interact with platforms starting next year. Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James announced the completed rules for the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. The law will take effect on January 25, 2027.

The regulations target two specific features that officials link to mental health harms for children: algorithmically personalized feeds and push notifications sent between midnight and 6 a.m. For users under 18, access to these features will be restricted by default. Minors can only overrule these settings with verifiable parental consent, following a process where the child must request access and agree to notify a parent.

A central component of the law is a mandate for age verification. Covered social media platforms, defined as those where users spend at least 20 percent of their time on algorithmic feeds, must determine a user's age with high accuracy before allowing access to personalized feeds or late-night alerts....