ALBANY, N.Y. (WCAX) – New York’s governor is working to combat the negative impacts of phone use by kids.
Governor Kathy Hochul emphasized the impact of the pandemic on phone use among middle and high schoolers.
She said social media companies make algorithms to keep kids addicted to their phones, causing what Hochul calls an epidemic of suffering.
With rates of mental health problems in teens on the rise, Hochul has proposed bills ranging from eating disorder treatment, to suicide prevention, and mental health clinics.
“So, we want to work on legislation that will also control these addictive algorithms. I don’t think also these social media platforms should be able to capture young people’s personal information and profit off of it, which is exactly what’s going on,” said Hochul.
Hochul says her policy proposals are informed by meetings with parents and caregivers of teens as well as middle and high schoolers to see what measures from the state are effective.