New Jersey Gov. Sherrill recently signed a package of three bills designed to help keep kids safe online, hold big technology compnies accountable, and address the harmful and addictive effects of social media on young people.
New laws will establish an age-appropriate design code and social media research center, according to a press release from the governor. The goal is putting stronger protections in place for children and giving parents more tools to keep their families safe online.
“Big Tech might have stopped politicians in Washington from holding them accountable, but they won’t stop us here in New Jersey,” said Sherrill. “As a mom of four, I have seen firsthand how social media platforms can affect our kids and how often parents are left to fight this battle alone. Technology companies have designed platforms that hijack our kid’s attention spans, constantly rolling out new, addictive features that have serious negative consequences for our children’s long-term health and well-being. With these new laws, we are putting real protections in place for children online, better supporting parents across our state, and making clear that technology companies have a responsibility to put kids’ safety ahead of profits.”
The state is also opening a funding opportunity for a Social Media Center to Support Research and Mitigate Negative Impact of Social Media Use.
Legislation Part of Kids’ Online Safety Agenda
The legislation delivers on key elements of Governor Sherrill’s Kids’ Online Safety Agenda, including codifying the New Jersey Age-Appropriate Design Code and creating a Social Media Research Center to independently study social media’s impacts, addictive features, and emerging risks to children.
The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education announced the availability of funds to establish the Social Media Research Center at one of New Jersey’s four-year public institutions of higher education, with the goal of getting the Center up and running this fall.
The newly-signed package also builds on Sherrill’s broader Kids’ Online Safety Agenda to protect children’s mental health and help parents navigate a rapidly changing digital environment. On her first day in office, Governor Sherrill created the Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness within the New Jersey Department of Health to coordinate efforts across state government to keep children safe online, according to the press release.
“New Jersey is home to world-class public institutions and renowned experts who lead the nation in research and innovation across several fields. With the signing of this legislation, OSHE is pleased to issue a notice of funding availability that will support the establishment of the Social Media Research Center at one of our four-year public colleges or universities,” said Acting Secretary of Higher Education Margo Chaly. “This Center will play a vital role in better understanding the evolving impacts of social media on our young people, helping New Jersey balance the democratizing potential of these platforms with the urgent need to protect against their harmful and addictive effects.”
Social Media’s Integration In Students’ Lives
“Social media is engrained in the everyday lives of youth today. We have a responsibility to address the health and safety risks that come with it,” said Dr. Raynard E. Washington, New Jersey Health Commissioner. “Protecting kids from platforms that encourage addictive patterns of use, expose them to harmful content, and create serious online safety concerns, like bullying, is a necessary public health strategy. These new laws put policy to practice, and I look forward to promoting safer online environments for kids in NJ.”
“Children should be able to learn, connect, and explore online without having their privacy violated, their mental and physical health jeopardized, or their attention manipulated for profit,” said Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. “I thank Governor Sherrill and the Legislature for advancing this important legislation, which will help create a healthier, safer digital environment for our kids.”
The Bills
A4015/S3413 The “New Jersey Kids Code Act” – sponsored by Assemblymembers Andrea Katz, Marisa Sweeney and Luanne Peterpaul, along with Senators Raj Mukherji and Linda Greenstein – codifies the New Jersey Age-Appropriate Design Code and requires certain online service providers to design their products with the safety and well-being of minors in mind.
Among its protections, the law limits the data companies can collect and retain from children, establishes safeguards around interactions between minors and adult users, requires platforms to set their default privacy settings for children to the highest level of privacy, and restricts certain platform features designed to keep young users constantly engaged. It also gives children and parents greater control over online experiences, including certain algorithmic recommendations and interactions, and provides mechanisms to report harmful experiences.
The law establishes enforceable standards for covered technology companies and provides avenues for accountability when those standards are violated.
A4014/S3411 – sponsored by Assemblymembers Andrea Katz and Carmen Theresa Morales, along with Senators Raj Mukherji and Linda Greenstein – establishes a Social Media Research Center at a four-year public institution of higher education in New Jersey. Building on a $500,000 investment in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, the Center will study the impacts of social media consumption and provide policymakers, families, educators, and communities with recommendations regarding addictive social media behaviors among children and minors.
The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education is launching a request for proposals today to establish the Center, with the goal of beginning its work this fall.
S3412/A4013 – sponsored by Senators Raj Mukherji and Linda Greenstein, along with Assemblymembers Andrea Katz, Cody Miller and Mitchelle Drulis – directs the Social Media Research Center to research the potential efficacy of warning labels and mandatory disclaimers to reduce addictive social media behaviors among children. Based upon that research, the Center is to issue a final report on its findings and policy recommendations within 18 months and support subsequent rulemaking by the New Jersey Department of Health to deter and reduce addictive social media behaviors among children.
“For something that connects us as much as social media, users today are increasingly kept from knowing the ins and outs of how these platforms are built to work, and parents carry that weight twice as much, trying to protect their child from risks they can’t even fully see,” said Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin. “Our children shouldn’t be forced to choose between growing up in an online world and growing up healthy, and these laws will make sure that they don’t have to. This social media bill package is good for the well-being and development of children across the State and will allow parents to worry a little bit less.”
“Age-appropriate design coding requirements start from a simple proposition: if a company knows children are using its platform, it should take reasonable steps to make that platform safer for children. It’s essential that online platforms limit the use of manipulative design practices or dark patterns and adapt their services in a way that protects children and their privacy, not harms them or keeps them continuously scrolling,” said Senator Raj Mukherji. “The critical safety and privacy features required by this bill are easy to implement and answer the alarm bells being rung by pediatricians and mental health professionals nationwide.”
“For too long, parents have had to compete with multimillion dollar algorithms just to keep their kids safe,” said Assemblywoman Andrea Katz. “That’s not a fair fight, and it’s time we leveled the playing field. Protecting our children’s mental health and safety online requires more than one solution, and this package delivers that. I’m proud we got this across the finish line and New Jersey has taken a big step to put the safety of our children first in the digital world.”