New York To Treat Social Media Like Tobacco With Mandatory Mental Health Risk Warnings

New York has moved to put warning labels on social media feeds, likening some platform features to the addictive products that once required cigarette-style alerts. Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation that forces platforms using features designed to prolong use — infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic feeds and similar mechanics — to display mental-health warnings when young people encounter those features, and periodically thereafter. Users won’t be able to bypass the alerts, the state says.Lawmakers framed the measure as a transparency and public-health intervention rather than a tech ban. The idea: if certain design elements nudge teenagers into long, repetitive sessions that research links to anxiety, poor sleep and depressive symptoms,

then clear on-screen notices might reduce harm or at least prompt healthier habits. The text of the bill specifically targets “predatory” features that encourage prolonged engagement, and it requires platforms to post warnings at login and at set intervals during continued use.

Enforcement carries teeth. The state attorney general’s office can seek civil penalties for violations, reports say fines can be up to $5,000 per incident, creating a direct financial incentive for compliance. That enforcement mechanism also signals that New York lawmakers expect platforms to take the rule seriously rather than treat it as optional guidance.This step joins a growing patchwork of U.S. and international regulation. California and Minnesota have moved on related rules, and Australia recently adopted much stricter protections aimed at under-16s, part of a global debate over how far governments should go to shield children from the unintended harms of social media. Advocates praise the move as overdue; critics warn it may overreach, raise free-speech questions, or be easy for determined teens to work around.

Platform responses were limited at the time of reporting; major companies including TikTok, Snap and Meta had not immediately provided public comments. What will determine whether the law changes online behavior is not only the labels themselves but how persistently states enforce them, and whether they spur design changes, parental controls, or new industry standards for youth safety.