Gov. Kathy Hochul has introduced new proposals to help protect children online and combat the youth mental health crisis across the state.
New legislation will protect children from online predators, scammers, and harmful AI chatbots integrated on online platforms.
Additionally, the governor is proposing to expand training to teens for mental health. The Teen Mental Health First Aid training is designed to give young people the tools to identify, understand, and effectively respond to signs of mental health and substance abuse challenges among their friends and peers.
“As New York’s first mom Governor, the well-being and safety of our children has always been one of my top priorities, and today we are continuing to break new ground to give our kids the tools and safeguards they need to contend with the unprecedented mental health challenges and real world dangers that can sometimes be a byproduct of navigating today’s digital world,” said Hochul. “These proposals will create a nation-leading standard that will ensure our kids’ safety in online and real world environments where they spend time.”
The proposals build on Hochul’s work to ban smartphones in schools, enact social media warning labels, restrict addictive feeds, and create safeguards against harmful AI.
It has also led to more school-based mental health clinics, community-based treatment options, and peer-based supports for youth and adults.
New legislation
Proposed legislation aims to keep kids safe from emerging threats on social media and online gaming platforms. That includes:
Expanding Age Verification: Expanding requirements for platforms to conduct age verification, including online game platforms.Privacy by Default: Kids will be set to the highest privacy settings on covered platforms by default, meaning non-connections cannot message kids, view their profile, or tag them in content. Location settings will be turned off by default, and children under 13 must receive parental approval for new connections.Disabling AI Chatbot Features: Disabling certain AI chatbot features on social media platforms for kids.Parental Controls: Parents must be able to set limits on children’s financial transactions.Teen mental health training
Gov. Hochul has proposed to make Teen Mental Health First Aid training available to all 10th graders across the state.
New York will make training available to more than 180,000 students annually. It is designed for young people between the ages 15 and 18 so they can identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers.
The state will also offer new training for adults who regularly interact with youth in schools and community programs.