New York
New York has enacted three child online safety laws and no adult content age verification law. The SAFE for Kids Act (2024), restricting algorithmic feeds for minors, is not yet operative; it takes effect 180 days after the Attorney General finalizes implementing regulations, which remained in proposed-rule stage as of mid-2026. The Child Data Protection Act (2024) took effect June 20, 2025. The Safe by Design Act, enacted in May 2026 through the FY2027 state budget, adds default privacy and safety design requirements protecting minors on online platforms and takes effect January 1, 2027.
Subnational jurisdiction. Reviewed 2026-07-15.
S7695B, New York Child Data Protection Act
Operators of websites, online services, apps, and connected products may not process, sell, or share the personal data of a user under 18 for targeted advertising, profiling, or other non-essential purposes without informed consent, and must honor browser or device signals indicating a user is a minor. The Attorney General has said it will exercise enforcement discretion for good-faith compliance efforts while final implementing rules remain pending.
- Citation
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 39-FF, sections 899-EE to 899-MM (2024 N.Y. Laws ch. 121)
- Status
- In force
- Effective date
- 2025-06-20
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Verification methods
- device signal
- Covered services
- Websites, online services, apps, and connected devices directed to or reasonably likely to be used by minors
- Penalties
- Up to $5,000 per violation, plus injunctive relief, restitution, and disgorgement.
- Enforcement body
- New York Attorney General
- Private right of action
- no
- Source
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 39-FF, sections 899-EE to 899-MM (2024 N.Y. Laws ch. 121)
S4609A/A6549A Stop Online Predators Act, enacted as the Safe by Design Act (FY2027 budget, S9008-C part Y)
Covered online platforms, including social media, gaming, and digital messaging services, must apply privacy-protective default settings for users they know are minors, including restricting contact and profile recommendations from unknown adults, limiting financial transactions, requiring parental approvals for weaker settings, and turning AI companion features off by default. The act relies on commercially reasonable age assurance, with standards to be set through Attorney General rulemaking, and was enacted in May 2026 as part Y of the state's FY2027 transportation and economic development budget bill.
- Citation
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 45-B, sections 1539-1547 (2026 N.Y. Laws ch. 58, part Y)
- Status
- Enacted, not yet in force
- Effective date
- 2027-01-01
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Covered services
- Online platforms likely to be used by minors, including social media, gaming, and digital messaging platforms
- Enforcement body
- New York Attorney General
- Source
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 45-B, sections 1539-1547 (2026 N.Y. Laws ch. 58, part Y)
S7694A/A8148A, Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act
Social media platforms must obtain parental consent before providing an addictive, algorithmically personalized feed to a user they know is a minor, and may not send notifications to minors between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent. The act does not take effect until 180 days after the Attorney General finalizes rules identifying acceptable age-determination and parental-consent methods; a notice of proposed rulemaking was published September 15, 2025, the public comment period closed December 1, 2025, and final rules had not been adopted as of mid-2026.
- Citation
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 45, sections 1500-1508 (2024 N.Y. Laws ch. 120)
- Status
- Enacted, not yet in force
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Covered services
- Social media platforms providing algorithmically personalized (addictive) feeds to users in New York
- Penalties
- Up to $5,000 per violation, enforced by the Attorney General.
- Enforcement body
- New York Attorney General
- Private right of action
- no
- Source
- N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 45, sections 1500-1508 (2024 N.Y. Laws ch. 120)
Reviewed 2026-07-15. Confidence: high. Fast-moving area, verify before relying. Not legal advice.