Overview
- The attorney general’s office released the final rules on Tuesday, July 28, and set a six-month compliance window with enforcement starting on Jan. 25, 2027.
- Platforms defined as “addictive online platforms” — those with user-generated content where at least 20% of time is spent in algorithmic feeds over six months — must stop serving personalized algorithmic feeds to users under 18 unless age verification and parental consent are obtained.
- To unlock age-gated features, companies must offer multiple verification options such as government ID, an uploaded image or video, or email/phone cross-checks, meet strict accuracy and anti-circumvention benchmarks, and delete or de-identify verification data after use.
- The rules bar push notifications to minors between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent and allow fines up to $5,000 per violation with enforcement led by the New York Attorney General’s office.
- Tech industry groups and civil-liberties advocates say the measures raise privacy and free-speech concerns and legal challenges are expected, while state officials and child-safety groups argue the rules are needed to reduce harms linked to addictive design features.