New York state lawmakers have passed legislation that aims to curb “addictive” social media for kids, but with the caveat that parents sign up for a digital identity — potentially signing away their privacy and freedom of speech online, according to critics.

The pieces of legislation, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act along with the New York Child Data Protection Act, which is positioned to land on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk, claim to give parents more control over their kids’ social media usage. However, the bills, which could have a nationwide impact, are almost certain to face a protracted legal battle at the behest of Big Tech companies, according to the New York Post.

Attorney General Letitia James, who championed the twin bills, emphasized the urgent need to address the mental health crisis among youth, which she attributes in part to social media.

“Our children are enduring a mental health crisis, and social media is fueling the fire and profiting from the epidemic,” James said in a statement, according to the Post. “New York state is once again leading the nation, and I hope other states will follow suit and pass legislation to protect children and put their mental health above big tech companies’ profits.”

In order to safeguard their children’s mental health, parents under the SAFE for Kids Act would be required to undergo a digital ID verification process before they can set boundaries for their children’s access to social media. Without permission, children will view content in chronological order.

The legislation also allows parents to pause notifications on their children’s accounts from midnight to 6 a.m. Additionally, the New York Child Data Protection Act prohibits tech firms from selling or profiting from minors’ data.

Critics of the bills say that having online activity tied to a government-issued digital ID chills free speech and opens data privacy issues. Some of the biggest critics of the measures come from Big Tech.

“New York lawmakers just put a fresh coat of paint on a rotten bill,” Adam Kovacevich, the CEO of the Chamber of Progress, a trade group funded by Meta, Amazon, Google, and Uber.

“Algorithms actually make online platforms better for teens, by boosting healthy content over hate, harm, and misinformation. This bill’s unconstitutional limits are going to have a hard time surviving a court challenge.”

According to Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC, it’s unclear how the age verification would be implemented.

“These bills include some positive changes that will bring them closer to achieving lawmakers’ intention of protecting children online — a goal that Tech:NYC and our member companies support. These changes signal an intention to better tailor the definition of social media, and remove the private right of action,” Samuels said.

“However, neither the platforms impacted by these bills nor any of the lawmakers voting on them have any clarity on how age verification will work.”

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