New York Proposes "Default Lock" on Kids' Social Media

New York Governor Kathy Hochul will push for a major new law to protect children online. She will announce the plan in her State of the State speech this week. The proposal would require social media and other online platforms to change their default settings. By default, minors could not be messaged or have their content viewed by anyone. Parents could choose to change this setting, but the "safety lock" would be on from the start. Governor Hochul argues this will shield young users from unwanted contact and harmful content. The goal is to make privacy and protection automatic, rather than something families must find and activate. If passed, New York would have one of the United States' strictest default privacy rules for minors online. The plan is expected to face debate from technology companies.