Technology Social Media Warning Labels

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Signs Bill Requiring Warning Labels on ‘Addictive’ Social Media Features

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed S4505/A5346, requiring non-bypassable warning labels for young users exposed to “addictive” social media features.

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Governor Kathy Hochul signs new NY bill mandating warning labels for addictive social media features aimed at youth.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill requiring warning labels for young users on addictive social media features.
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New York is moving to put prominent mental-health warnings in front of young people before they encounter certain social media design features that critics say are built to keep users scrolling.

What New York’s new social media warning-label law does

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill this week that will require social media platforms to display warning labels to younger users before they are exposed to features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling. The legislation was passed by state lawmakers in June as bill S4505/A5346.

The bill’s text calls for mental health warnings on “addictive social media platforms.” Under the law, those are platforms that offer “an addictive feed, push notifications, autoplay, infinite scroll, and/or like counts as a significant part” of their services.

Notably, the measure includes a carve-out: an exception can be made if the attorney general determines those features are used for “a valid purpose unrelated to prolonging use of such platform.” In other words, the law aims to target engagement mechanics designed primarily to extend time spent on an app—while leaving room for regulators to determine when similar features serve a different, legitimate purpose.

When the warnings must appear—and whether teens can skip them

According to the governor’s office, covered platforms will have to display warnings “when a young user initially uses the predatory feature and periodically thereafter.” The policy is designed to intervene at the moment a user first encounters a feature considered especially compelling—rather than placing general safety information somewhere in settings.

The announcement also emphasizes that young users would not be able to bypass the warnings. That detail matters because many digital disclosures are currently easy to dismiss with one tap, which can make them more symbolic than practical. Here, the intent is for the warning to be a meaningful checkpoint.

What counts as “addictive” features in the bill

The legislation focuses on product mechanics commonly associated with high-frequency use and prolonged engagement. While the bill uses a specific definition of “addictive social media platforms,” its language highlights a set of features that have become standard across many major apps:

  • Addictive feed designs that continuously serve new content, often tailored to user behavior
  • Push notifications that prompt users to return to an app
  • Autoplay that starts the next piece of content without a user choosing it
  • Infinite scroll that removes natural stopping points
  • Like counts and similar social feedback metrics that can intensify comparison and validation-seeking

By writing these elements into the definition, lawmakers are effectively acknowledging that “addiction-like” experiences online are not only about content, but also about interface patterns and feedback loops.

Why lawmakers are pushing warning labels now

In the governor’s office announcement, the state likened the planned warning labels to longstanding consumer warnings used for tobacco and alcohol, as well as warnings on media that includes flashing lights. The comparison signals the state’s position that these features can pose a public-health risk for younger users, requiring standardized disclosures rather than optional guidance.

The move also comes amid a wider national debate over whether social media companies should be required to warn users more explicitly about mental health risks. Then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said last year that social media platforms should add warning labels. While that statement alone does not create policy, it helped elevate the idea of warning labels from a talking point to a concrete legislative goal in some states.

Statements from Hochul and bill sponsor Nily Rozic

Governor Hochul framed the legislation as part of a broader child-safety agenda focused on reducing harms associated with excessive use. “Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use,” Hochul said in a statement.

Assemblymember Nily Rozic, one of the bill’s sponsors, focused on transparency and decision-making for families. “New York families deserve honesty about how social media platforms impact mental health. By requiring warning labels based on the latest medical research, this law puts public health first and finally gives us the tools we need to make informed decisions,” Rozic said.

How this fits into New York’s broader approach to “addictive feeds” and youth privacy

This warning-label measure doesn’t arrive in isolation. Last year, New York passed laws requiring social media platforms to obtain parental consent before showing children “addictive feeds” and before collecting or selling the personal data of users under 18.

Together, these actions indicate a regulatory strategy that targets both product design (how content is delivered and how engagement is encouraged) and data practices (how information about minors is collected, used, or monetized). The state’s approach reflects a growing belief among policymakers that youth online protection involves more than content moderation; it includes the mechanics that shape behavior and the business models that rely on attention and data.

What platforms may need to change operationally

While the law’s core requirement is the display of warnings, the practical implications for platforms could be significant—especially for services that rely on continuous feeds, autoplay, or persistent notifications as core engagement drivers.

To comply, platforms may need to:

  • Identify which users qualify as “young users” under the law’s scope and apply age-appropriate experiences accordingly
  • Detect when a user is about to “initially” use a covered feature, then trigger the mandated warning at that precise moment
  • Ensure the warning cannot be bypassed, and re-display it “periodically thereafter,” which implies an ongoing schedule or logic for repeated disclosures
  • Evaluate whether any covered features could qualify for an exception if the attorney general determines they serve “a valid purpose unrelated to prolonging use of such platform”

Even without changing features like infinite scroll or autoplay, the warnings themselves could create friction—potentially reducing usage among younger audiences or changing how those users interact with feeds and recommendations.

Similar proposals in other states

New York is not the only state exploring warning labels for social media. California lawmakers have proposed a similar bill. The spread of related proposals suggests that warning-label requirements could become a recurring model for state-level tech regulation, especially in the absence of a single nationwide standard.

Another end-of-year tech regulation: the RAISE Act

Hochul’s signing of the warning-label bill also fits into a broader end-of-year push on technology policy. She recently signed the AI safety-focused RAISE Act, highlighting that New York’s regulatory attention extends beyond social media into artificial intelligence governance as well.

Conclusion

By requiring non-bypassable, periodic warning labels when young users encounter features like autoplay and infinite scroll, New York is escalating its effort to regulate how social platforms are designed and experienced by minors. The law adds another layer to the state’s recent focus on “addictive feeds,” youth protections, and tech accountability.

Based on reporting originally published by TechCrunch. See the sources section below.

Sources

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