Common Sense Media Beats Back Tech Lobby in New York With the Passage of Two Online Child Safety Bills

NEW YORK, June 06, 2024 — In a major blow to giant social media companies, Common Sense Media and its allies have ushered in two bills in New York that will set a new standard for children's data privacy and online protections. And similar legislation that Common Sense is also supporting is gaining traction in California. The State Senate has just approved the bill and an Assembly approval vote will soon follow.

"This is a very big win for kids and families in New York, and potentially across the country," said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. "Parents and families have had enough of Big Tech's negligence and profiteering off of the decline in young people's well-being. Thankfully, New York leaders took bold action. And other states, including California this year, can and should follow their lead.

"Common Sense deeply appreciates the leadership of Gov. Hochul, Attorney General James, State Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Rozic. They are champions for New York's kids and families. And we are proud to have played a leading advocacy role, activating our parent and teacher members in New York. We put a lot of sweat equity into this effort, working closely with elected officials and other organizations and unions to beat back Big Tech's million dollar lobby campaign. Our work paid off.

"Momentum is on our side. In addition to New York, other states, like Maryland, Vermont, and Colorado, recently passed bills or enacted laws that will protect kids' data and force social media companies to change the way they operate their platforms. What's the message from all this positive action? ‘Get on board.' If you are in public office in a state or in Congress and are not fighting to protect kids and families online, you are on the wrong side of history."

Common Sense Media has worked closely with New York parents, teachers, and policymakers for the past six months to form a winning coalition, host lobby days in Albany, hold press conferences, generate calls and emails to lawmakers, and meet with key lawmakers to overpower a $1 million effort from social media company lobbyists to stop these bills. Among the many organizations that supported these two bills, a few deserve particular attention, including the NY State United Teachers (NYSUT), the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), District Council 37 - AFL-CIO, the NY State Nurses Association (NYSNA), the National Urban League, MAMA, and others.

About Common Sense:

Common Sense is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive. Our ratings, research, and resources reach approximately 150 million users worldwide and 1.2 million educators per year. Learn more at www.commonsense.org