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New York's SAFE for Kids Act: What Changes for Teens' Social Media Feeds, and When

Final rules set a January 25, 2027 compliance date requiring platforms to verify age before showing minors an algorithmic feed or sending overnight notifications.

Meridians Life Desk

Published 21 August 2026 · Updated 21 August 2026 · 4 min read

New York's SAFE for Kids Act: What Changes for Teens' Social Media Feeds, and WhenFamily
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The short answer

  • New York's Attorney General and Governor released final implementing rules for the SAFE for Kids Act on July 28, 2026, with a compliance date of January 25, 2027.
  • Platforms defined as "Addictive Online Platforms" must verify a user is 18 or older before granting access to an algorithmically personalized feed or overnight notifications.
  • Minors under 18 can't access algorithmic feeds without verifiable parental consent, though platforms can't block general content access if consent is refused.
  • No notifications are permitted to under-18 users between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent, and violations carry penalties up to $5,000 each, enforced by the state Attorney General.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul released final implementing rules for the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act on July 28, 2026, setting a concrete compliance date of January 25, 2027 — 180 days after publication in the State Register on July 29, 2026.

Who the law covers

The law applies to "Addictive Online Platforms," defined as platforms displaying user-generated content where users spend 20% or more of their time on algorithmically personalized feeds. Those platforms must verify a user is 18 or older, using one of several acceptable methods, before granting access to an algorithmic feed or nighttime notifications.

What changes for minors

  • Users under 18 cannot access an algorithmic, personalized feed without verifiable parental consent
  • Platforms cannot block access to general, non-algorithmic content if a parent refuses consent
  • Both the parent and the minor can withdraw consent at any time
  • No notifications are permitted to under-18 users between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent
  • Platforms must conduct annual accuracy testing of their age-assurance methods and retain records for 10 years

Enforcement

The law is enforced by the New York Attorney General, with penalties of up to $5,000 per violation. It was sponsored by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Nily Rozic and signed by Gov. Hochul in June 2024; the rules released this July finalize how the law will actually be implemented starting in 2027.

New York isn't alone

Other states have passed parallel child-online-safety laws with their own 2026 effective dates, including Arkansas's Online Privacy Act (July 1, 2026), Nebraska's Parental Rights in Social Media Act (July 1, 2026), and South Carolina's Age-Appropriate Design Code (February 5, 2026, which has faced a legal challenge but wasn't enjoined as of the most recent available reporting). Louisiana's App Store Accountability Act was delayed from July 2026 to July 2027.

Sources

Every factual claim above is traceable to these documents. Check them — that is why they are here.

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Meridians Life Desk is an editorial desk at Meridians, not an individual. A desk byline means the article was produced and fact-checked to that desk's published standards. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.

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