Around the country, states and school districts have begun putting pressure on Facebook and other social media companies to change the way they handle the data and privacy of young users. And this week, New York state threw its hat into the ring, proposing legislation that would restrict the way Facebook collects and shares children’s data while giving parents a tool to rein in the algorithm that curates kids’ feeds.

One proposed bill would prohibit Facebook and all other sites from collecting, using, sharing, or selling the personal data of users under the age of 18 without consent. The other would let parents opt their kids out of a feed curated by an algorithm, instead seeing content in chronological order. The goal of both laws is to protect the privacy of children while helping prevent social media addiction.

“Young New Yorkers are struggling with record levels of anxiety and depression, and social media companies that use addictive features to keep minors on their platforms longer are largely to blame,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “This legislation will help tackle the risks of social media affecting our children and protect their privacy.”

If passed, these bills could levy a hefty financial penalty against Facebook for every infraction in the state. While these laws still have a long way to go until they become reality, it’s encouraging to see US lawmakers following in the footsteps of their European counterparts and getting serious about holding Facebook accountable.

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