In a monumental act that may change the way we view technology, the New York State Government has enacted a new law mandating that social media companies display warning labels on addictive platforms, with the goal of protecting users, especially teenagers, from features that will cause excessive use.
For most students in our Mamaroneck High School community, social media is a habit. From scrolling on TikTok to messaging on Snapchat, social media is woven deeply into our everyday lives. The constant rush of reels and endless notifications can quickly pull users in, making it hard to put the phone down.
Over time, constant scrolling can negatively affect our attention spans as well as our sleep and mental health, with excessive use of social media linked to increased depression, anxiety, and unhealthy comparisons. This law aims to bring light to the addictive methods and algorithms used to suck in young users. Social media platforms are now required to place warnings on features, including auto-play of content, indefinite scrolling, and algorithms that select what content shows up on your feed, according to NY.Gov.
With these features proven to be addictive, it comes as no surprise to many that warning labels are now mandated. Historically, warning labels have been seen on many other addictive and potentially dangerous products like nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine. While social media may not pose the same physical threats as these substances, it still causes users to become dependent on it through repeated use.
AP Psychology teacher Diandra D’Amico believes that it is about time that social media companies become transparent about their addictive features. D’Amico highlighted the need for transparency since, “we know that the majority of young people use it for entertainment, but also to guide their thinking.” Algorithms are trained to show us content that confirms our beliefs, creating what is known as an echo chamber. D’Amico believes that it is not only “necessary, but moral to be transparent about the features they [Social media platforms] use to retain users’ attention, so that users can decide what to think.”
While still an important step toward controlling social media, the law doesn’t ban these features; it simply mandates that a warning be present, allowing users to simply ignore the warning. However, similar to the aforementioned substances, there may soon be age restrictions on addictive features or even all social media apps in New York State.
Around the country, states have implemented legislation aimed at reducing the negative effects of social media. Arkansas has passed legislation requiring parental consent for children to use social media, and California has required companies to restrict addictive features for all minors. New York may be the next state to follow suit.
This law follows years of increasing restrictions on phones in our MHS community. At the start of this year, we all put away our phones during school hours to reduce classroom and school distractions. This new legislation aims to extend this effort beyond school, helping students focus after the last bell has rung.
This new law marks a significant shift in how we view technology and how it is regulated. Before, social media companies were free to develop technology and algorithms that exploit the attention spans of children in the name of revenue. Through this law, we are demanding accountability from an industry that has long prioritized profit over the health of people.
