This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube video titled "Should Social Media be Regulated for Minors?" (created 2025-09-16). The excerpt is a news-discussion segment featuring multiple speakers: Robert Siciliano (identifying himself as a personal security expert), Fox 6 reporter Kendall Green, and other commentators referencing Attorney General Letitia James. They discuss the proposed SAFE for Kids Act rules to curb algorithm-driven feeds for children—requirements for age verification (IDs, email/phone cross-checks, non‑ID options), limits on notifications for under‑18s during late-night hours, privacy and facial-recognition concerns, enforcement challenges, and the 60-day public comment period before the rules take effect.
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I'm Robert Siciliano and I'm a personal security expert.
Letitia James unveiling a new set of proposed rules aimed at combating social media addiction among children.
She says that spending too much time online is hurting kids' mental health and tech companies need to be part of the solution. Fox 6 Kendall Green is here with more on that. Kendall.
Hi, good evening, single toss. I'm sure you see it all the time. Kids are constantly strolling, uh, through content on their feeds driven by algorithms and the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation or SAFE for Kids Act forces social media companies to restrict that from happening without their parents' permission. Now, Attorney General Letitia James issuing the proposed rules that companies like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook could soon have to follow. They require the social media platforms to verify their users' ages before they access, uh, content on their feeds driven by algorithms. So those ads, along with interest-driven content, won't make it to a child's feed without their parents' consent under the new policy. Now, it would also ban social media platforms from sending notifications to kids under 18 between midnight and 6 6 AM without their parents' permission. But tech experts say verifying ages to begin with could get a bit tricky.
If they're not having the issued IDs, then it's by email address. In some of the cases, it's attempting to take a photo or a video and then having, uh, those used as validation, correct? This also then moves into and moves from age verification to privacy, and this is a place that is going to become, uh, nebulous.
So a little tricky. The proposed rules would also require social media companies to verify users' ages first, then constantly monitor whether those methods are accurate. That could be through requesting an uploaded ID or using a verified email or phone number to cross-confirm ages. But they also have to provide an option that doesn't require a government-issued ID.
It's going to be very difficult to identify and authenticate those, say, 17 and under that don't have driver's licenses. The only option that I can think of government-issued would be a driver's license. Other than that, facial recognition, which is available, that can give a pretty good idea of a person's age, may work in some situations.
Now, the law again aims to protect children from the potential dangers of overusing social media. Governor Hochul signed the bill into law and tasked Office of Attorney General with coming up with a set of rules to enforce it. People can weigh in on those proposed rules during the open comment period for the next 60 days before it takes effect.
Yeah, such a huge issue. All right, Kendall, we appreciate it. Thank you.
