New York Governor Hoochul signs bill requiring warning labels on “addictive” social media.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill this week that would require social media platforms to show warning labels to younger users before they’re exposed to features like autoplay and infinite scrolling.

State lawmakers passed the bill — S4505/A5346 — last June, with text Calling for mental health warnings on “addictive social media platforms,” which are defined as platforms that offer “addictive feeds, push notifications, autoplay, infinite scrolling, and/or likes as a significant part” of their services, though an exception could be made if the attorney general determines those features are being used “for a valid purpose unrelated to prolonging use of that platform.”

the advertisement These platforms will have to display warnings “when a young user initially uses the predatory feature and periodically thereafter,” Hochul’s office said. These users will not be able to bypass the warnings.

The ad compares the proposed warning labels to those added to products such as tobacco, alcohol and media with bright lights. Then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said so last year Social media platforms should add warning labels.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since I took office, and this includes protecting our children from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use,” Hochul said in a statement.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Assemblymember Neely Ruzek, made a similar point in a statement of his own: “New York families deserve honesty about how social media platforms impact mental health. By requiring warning labels based on the latest medical research, this bill puts public health first and finally gives us the tools we need to make informed decisions.”

California lawmakers did A similar bill was proposed.

last year, New York passed laws Require social media platforms to obtain parental consent before showing “addictive feeds” to children and before collecting or selling personal data of users under 18.

This isn’t Hochul’s only year-end tech slate; She too She recently signed the RAISE Act, which focuses on safety in artificial intelligence.