Cybersecurity Policy Report, New York Governor announced broad online safety legislation, (Jan 6, 2026)

By Jody Coultas, J.D.

The proposals would expand protections of children on social media and other online sites.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced legislation in advance of her State of the State address that would include “nation-leading proposals” to protect children online and to combat the statewide youth mental health crisis. The new legislation, including the Stop Online Predators Act, will help protect children from online predators on gaming and social media sites, scammers, and AI chatbots on online platforms.

Noting that numerous lawsuits and investigations have alleged that online platforms have not taken appropriate steps to protect children, Gov. Hochul’s proposals include provisions designed to keep kids safe from emerging threats on social media and online gaming platforms. One such report concerning online game Roblox, where over 40% of users report they’re under 13, found over 13,000 instances of child exploitation in 2023 alone, and responded to 1,300 requests for information from law enforcement.

Hochul cited the Stop Online Predators Act (SOPA—formerly the New York Children's Online Safety Act) as one piece of legislation that she will support in the upcoming legislative session. The Act, sponsored by Senator Gounardes’ and Assemblymember Nily Rozic, would require online platforms to utilize a commercially reasonable form of age assurance in order to determine the actual age of their users, and turn off open chat functions by default for kids unless a parent switches them back on. It would require children’s profiles be set to private so strangers can’t view them without a friend request, and only let adults message children if their friend request has been accepted, which would require parental approval for users under 13.

The legislative package would require children’s accounts to be set to the highest privacy settings by default on covered platforms, which means that non-connections cannot message kids, review their profiles, or tag them in content. In addition, location settings would be turned off by default and children under age 13 would be required to receive parental approval for any new connections.

Additional provisions in the proposed legislative package include expanded age verification requirements, disabling of AI chatbot features on children’s social media platforms, and allowing parents to set limits on their children’s financial transactions.

Other legislation announced recently by New York includes:

• The SAFE for Kids Act, which restricts addictive features of social media for kids, and establishes important national precedent about age verification.

• The Child Data Protection Act that prevents online operators from collecting and monetizing children’s data without informed consent.

• AI Companion legislation which set first-in-the-nation safeguards, diverting user conversations about self-harm to mental health resources and interrupting unhealthy addictive behaviors. The Governor also outlawed AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material.

• The Unplug and Play Agenda which helps encourage the healthy socialization and child development by funding social infrastructure, physical sites like playgrounds, community centers, and pools, and expanded youth programming.

• New York’s Distraction Free Learning Policy which is already resulting in greater academic achievement, improved student wellbeing, and safer school environments for students.

• The recently signed Warning Labels bill that will require social media companies post warnings about the platform's potential impact on mental health.

Gov. Hochul also said she would propose to make teen mental health first aid training available to all 10th graders in the state, enabling them to support themselves and their peers. Similar training would be provided for adults that regularly interact with youth in schools and community programs.

“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,” Gov. Hochul said in a news release today. “These proposals will create a nation-leading standard that will ensure our kids’ safety in online and real world environments where they spend time.”

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