Google, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, and other tech giants are engaged in a fierce lobbying battle against two New York bills aimed at protecting children online, with spending expected to surpass $1 million.
The New York Post reports that recent public disclosures reveal that a group of Big Tech firms, advocacy groups, and companies from other sectors have spent $823,235 lobbying Albany lawmakers through mid-March. The lobbying efforts are focused on two high-profile bills: the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act.
The SAFE Act aims to crack down on addictive algorithms used by social media apps by requiring default chronological feeds for users 18 or younger unless they receive parental consent. It would also allow parents to impose time limits on social media use and in-app notifications. The Child Data Protection Act would block apps from collecting or selling the personal or location data from users under 18 without their consent, while kids under 13 would need a parent’s consent.
