New York to require mental health warnings for social media platforms

• New York joins California in displaying social media warning labels.
• The new law follows a social media ban for under-16s in Australia.

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New York will require social media platforms to display mental health warnings after the state’s Governor signed a new law aimed at protecting young users.

The legislation forces platforms that offer “addictive” feeds, auto play or infinite scroll to use warning labels. These will be displayed to young users upon first use and periodically thereafter. Users cannot bypass or click through the warnings.

The consumer warning labels will be somewhat similar to products like tobacco, which clearly display health risks on the packaging. A statement also referenced likeness to how video games communicate the risk of flashing lights for users with photosensitive epilepsy.

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,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. 

“New Yorkers deserve transparency. With the amount of information that can be shared online, it is essential that we prioritise mental health and take the steps necessary to ensure that people are aware of any potential risks.”

The move comes as governments and regulators around the world are closely scrutinising tech platforms and the impact of social media. California also requires warnings for social media platforms, while Australia recently instigated a social media ban for under-16s in the country.

The developments come over a year after the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for warning labels on social media platforms to increase the awareness of mental health impacts and attempt to change user behaviours.

Social platforms like TikTok are widely used by mobile games publishers in their marketing efforts. When TikTok was under the threat of a US ban, we asked the Mobile Mavens for their views on how it would impact the games industry and user acquisition strategies.