On Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) delivered remarks about protecting kids online.
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NewsTranscript
00:00And now, please welcome the 57th governor of the great state of New York, Governor Kathy
00:07Hochul.
00:14Good afternoon, everyone.
00:29And welcome to the United Federation of Teachers, and welcome to a group of concerned citizens
00:34who have made it our point to take care of the children of the state of New York.
00:39That is what we have focused our work upon.
00:43Let me be clear, this takes a coalition to make this happen.
00:47So when we first started this process, this journey, with our beautiful, wonderful attorney
00:54General Tish James and our beautiful, wonderful governor, Kathy Hochul, we knew it.
01:02We said we have to protect our children in a place they spend more time now than ever
01:06before, and that is online.
01:09And we said we knew we had the research.
01:12We saw it.
01:13We saw it became even worse coming out of COVID and during COVID.
01:17We said enough is enough.
01:19But we also all did our homework.
01:21And we knew that big tech did not want us to move.
01:25Big tech does not want these laws.
01:27They believe that no one should tell them what to do.
01:31But if something is dangerous, and it's dangerous specifically to children, then it is up to
01:36us to say we're not going to have this.
01:38So we are happy that we are here to sign this legislation.
01:41But we also know this is not the end.
01:44We know that there's going to be challenges.
01:45They're not going to give up.
01:47But New York State will never give up on the safety of its children.
01:51And that is why we are all here today.
01:57So I am now so proud to introduce our phenomenal governor who said, I'm getting this done.
02:04I'm getting this done this year.
02:06She led the charge despite millions of dollars being poured into our state trying to stop
02:11this.
02:12She stood up to them and she beat them.
02:14Our governor, Kathy Hochul.
02:33Thank you.
02:34Thank you.
02:35Thank you.
02:36Mike knows we love a good fight.
02:37Maybe it's the Irish in both of us.
02:42Today we save our children.
02:46We have heard their cries for help, reminding us as adults that we have a moral responsibility
02:55to protect young New Yorkers from harm and from addictive forces that are trying to transport
03:02them from happy-go-lucky kids into teenagers who are depressed, isolating themselves from
03:12human contact, and in some extreme cases, contemplating ending their own lives.
03:20What happens here?
03:22What happened to these children?
03:25Let's talk about that.
03:27The damaging effect of social media's addictive algorithms, weaponized to use children's personal
03:36information, extracting millions of data points about their preferences, what they want to
03:42do, where they're going.
03:43They use all this to hold them captive to a barrage of unsolicited images and messages.
03:52And that must be stopped right now.
04:04And that's why in this very room, on October 11th, many of you joined us.
04:11And I stood alongside America's greatest Attorney General, Tish James, a team up in this effort.
04:23A senator and assembly member who would not take no for an answer.
04:26Let's give a huge round of applause to Senator Andrew Garnardo and Assemblymember Milly Rosa.
04:35And we made a commitment to a crowd full of worried, anxious parents and teachers who
04:43saw what was happening in these young people before their very eyes.
04:46We said we would take up this cause and that we would win, and that's what we did here today.
04:50And we stood with Mike Mulgrew, our host here today, the president of UFT, and the leader
05:03of NYCIT, Melinda Person, because we needed them to bring people together, bring our teachers,
05:10work with our parents, belong with also our advocacy groups.
05:14And we said we would get this done.
05:17And then we would stop these forces and make sure that we could get the legislation done
05:23that changed the discourse around this.
05:25We are no longer helpless individuals who can say, well, this is how it is.
05:31This is life in 2024.
05:34I've never accepted the status quo.
05:37I'll always press on to find a better way.
05:40When it comes to protecting our kids, as New York's first mom governor, this is where you hit me.
05:49I'll take on a fight for our kids any day of the week.
05:53For years, we've watched our kids spiral downward, wrestle with feelings of depression, anxiety,
05:58low self-esteem.
06:00How do they get out of that?
06:02And those feelings of isolation, sadness, oh, we know what the pandemic did to these kids.
06:09I have gathered so many teenagers across this state in community centers, youth centers,
06:14in classrooms, libraries, and when you ask them about the pandemic, totally different
06:21response than you get from adults.
06:24Adults will say, yeah, we're okay now.
06:26We moved down.
06:27We're not wearing masks.
06:28We're good, right?
06:30We're isolated because a significant percentage of our lives was not isolated from others.
06:36These are kids, a fourth grader, sixth grader, eighth grader, tenth grader.
06:41You keep them isolated for one to two years, that has a long-term effect on them.
06:48But what were they doing during that time?
06:52We thought they might be studying remotely, learning from classrooms.
06:55Yeah, the teachers in the room are just laughing.
06:58Parents are saying, no, that didn't happen, right?
06:59We lost that time.
07:01Well, how did they fill their hours?
07:05They had an escape, but it was not talking to other kids in person or talking to parents
07:10or playing outside.
07:12They're taken to a place in their own bedrooms that grew darker and darker because it pulled
07:18them in to a place where they could not escape from.
07:22That's what the pandemic did to our kids.
07:24At the same time, the emergence of these algorithms actually started earlier, but we
07:31saw the full force of their power during this time.
07:37So as I said, we listened to our kids.
07:40We said we'd fight for a solution.
07:41We talk about mental health a lot here in the state of New York.
07:45Nobody can match our billion-dollar investment in mental health, but that's not just for
07:50you.
07:51But now to say we have to have mental health services in our classrooms and in our schools
08:03because this is the effect that children are going through, it's important.
08:08We'll do it.
08:09We're doing it now.
08:11But did you ever think that this would become a necessity when I'm talking to a grade school
08:15guidance counselor and they said 40% of their kids are depressed in grade school?
08:21These kids aren't set up for success.
08:24How are they going to turn their lives around and be fulfilled, healthy adults when they're
08:30in that place as children, the most carefree time of their lives?
08:37I'll never forget the voice of one young girl.
08:39She was telling what it was like.
08:41Even when she's sitting there talking to the governor of New York, she could not put her
08:44phone down.
08:45Could not put her phone down.
08:47I said, I know what you're doing.
08:48My kids used to do this too.
08:49Pay attention.
08:53She said, you've got to help us.
08:56We can't stop ourselves anymore.
08:59That wasn't her fault.
09:01She did not know that there was an intentional campaign by social media companies to devise
09:07the algorithms to hold them like this.
09:13They knew something was wrong.
09:17I'll tell you this, I didn't need anybody to tell me we were in a crisis.
09:22I saw it with my own eyes.
09:26We know they're powerful, they're dangerous things, but here's what we're doing about
09:31it.
09:32We're saying we can do something.
09:34We're not helpless.
09:35We're the adults.
09:36We can find solutions.
09:37That's what our legislature is all about as well.
09:40I want to give a huge round of applause to our speaker, Carl Heastie, Majority Leader
09:45Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and all the members of their conference who withstood incredible
09:51pressure from out-of-state forces that tried to stop this dead in its tracks.
09:56Let's give them another round of applause.
09:57All of our legislators are here.
09:58Thank you.
09:59Thank you.
10:00What does solution look like?
10:01Well, other states should start paying attention to New York.
10:13Even our Surgeon General called this out at the federal level.
10:18Anybody going to hold their breath waiting for a federal solution?
10:20Me either.
10:22It's a shame.
10:23The Surgeon General who's charged with the nation's health says that teens who use social
10:29media more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxious symptoms.
10:35Now, my experience, the teenagers on social media three hours a day, that's a light day,
10:41right?
10:42That's a light day.
10:43So, three, six, nine hours a day.
10:47These kids aren't getting sleep either because they can't turn it off.
10:53I listen to our Surgeon General.
10:54Our Surgeon General thinks we should have warning labels on social media.
10:57Anybody else agree with our Surgeon General?
10:58I think so.
10:59I'm going to do that too.
11:04Legislators, let's do that here in New York, right?
11:07We can do that.
11:09So, Congress needs to act.
11:11Let's get that out there.
11:12Congress can and should act.
11:15They can have a national standard but until such time, we'll lead the nation in so many
11:24ways we've always done before.
11:27So, let's get done.
11:30Let's get this done.
11:31We can protect our kids.
11:32We can tell the companies that you are not allowed to do this.
11:36You don't have a right to do this.
11:38That parents should have say over their children's lives and their health, not you.
11:44Not you who are on a marketing quest to have people follow you for the rest of their lives.
11:48We can stop that right now.
11:49And let's get that done.
11:50So, that's what the Safe for Kids Act and the Child Data Protection Act were all about
11:58in October.
11:59And we said we knew this would be a fight.
12:00And we said, bring it on.
12:03Bring it on.
12:04Our kids are worth fighting for.
12:06Do you agree with that?
12:07Our kids are worth fighting for.
12:09We will not be daunted.
12:11We will not waver.
12:13And this is proof of what we can do together, legislators and our Attorney General.
12:21And the power of the parents' organizations.
12:23And unions like our teachers' unions.
12:26Look at the power of what we accomplished here today.
12:31People never thought we'd see this day.
12:32Back in October.
12:33Oh, that's a nice idea.
12:36Nice idea.
12:37Good luck with that one.
12:40Did you ever think you'd see us here?
12:44First day of summer?
12:45Is it the first day of summer?
12:47Anybody feel like we've been in summer a long time?
12:51But we didn't cower to these interests.
12:54We didn't surrender.
12:55We didn't throw in the towel.
12:57Because New Yorkers don't do that.
13:00When there's a fight worth fighting, you stay the course.
13:04You don't give up.
13:05Because there's too much on the line.
13:07And this formidable coalition that I'm with here today, I'm so proud of all of you.
13:14All of you stood up when our children needed you.
13:18And we'll stop at nothing.
13:20Nothing to protect our children.
13:22Because it makes that big a difference.
13:24So I'm going to thank the coalitions as well.
13:27Common Sense Media, let's give them a round of applause.
13:34Mothers Against Media Addiction, the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying, the National
13:43Alliance on Mental Illness, parent leaders like Kathleen Spence and Norma Nazario, thank
13:50you, thank you, thank you, who know more than anyone the toll that social media addiction
13:57can take.
13:58And again, our teachers' unions.
14:01We're not done.
14:03They'll keep finding ways.
14:05There's too much profit on the line.
14:08Our kids will not be commoditized.
14:11We will not let them make money off our kids, our babies anymore.
14:14That is not happening here.
14:15So here we are, the first in the nation.
14:16First in the nation.
14:17I'm so proud of all of you for what you're doing.
14:23Every generation has its challenges when it comes to our children's health.
14:28Right?
14:29Remember we had to stand up and keep cigarettes out of the hands of kids?
14:34Remember we had to stand up and say no alcohol in the hands of our kids?
14:38Regulating illegal cannabis, saying it can't be in the hands of our kids?
14:42This is one more way that we show when the forces of society start getting into our families'
14:48homes, parents rise up.
14:52And it's powerful.
14:53It's powerful when you have allies in the legislature and elsewhere.
14:57There's no stopping us.
14:58We will save lives with this, my friends.
15:02People will not come back and thank us for this day because they'll never know what we
15:07saved them from.
15:08But in our hearts, we know that we've already lost too many kids or kids that are spiraling
15:13for a long time now.
15:14And it's our job to pull them back, to let them know that their lives matter, that no
15:20matter how you feel about yourself because of all these influences and even the bullying
15:24in schools and people say bad things about you, you have value as a human being.
15:29You're a New Yorker.
15:30That gives you something that nobody else in this country has.
15:33You have the strength to endure.
15:34So I'm so proud to sign these bills.
15:37Let's bring it on, ladies and gentlemen.
15:39Congratulations to everyone for getting it over the finish line.
15:42We did it.
15:43We did it.
15:44We did it.
15:45Thank you.
15:52She doesn't need an introduction in this room, but she's a great friend of mine, our Attorney
15:57General Tish James.
15:58Thank you.
15:59Thank you.
16:00Thank you.
16:01Thank you.
16:07And her office is writing the regulations.
16:09Here's the lady writing the regulations.
16:12Good luck.
16:13Thank you.
16:14Thank you.
16:19So I've got a little Irish in me.
16:21That's why they refer to me as Letitia O. Jameson.
16:24So yeah, I'm up for a good fight, but I have a hell of a lot of Brooklyn in me as well.
16:30When I walked in, there was a sign that said, Teachers Want What Children Need.
16:38And so I want to thank Michael Mulgrew.
16:40I want to thank UFT.
16:41I want to thank my good friend, Melinda Person.
16:44And I want to thank all of you who are here today, because this is what our children need.
16:49And today, Governor, you're right, today is the solstice.
16:52We'll have more daylight this day than any day of the year.
16:56And today we bring transparency and we bring openness to our children.
17:00And we stand together, united as one.
17:02And we stand against those forces, obviously, who want to do harm to our children.
17:06Today is a great day.
17:08And it's an honor and a privilege to be with all of you.
17:10But we could not get this done without the leadership of Assemblymember Neely Rosick, a mom herself.
17:16And my good friend, who also hails from Brooklyn, the great Senator Andrew Gennardus.
17:31And of course, all of the advocates who are here, and Lawrence Salem from Common Sense Media,
17:37and all of the organizations, all of the unions, the advocates, the experts, the stakeholders.
17:43I guess I can only say one thing, and that is, we did it.
17:52And why? Because we wanted to protect children. It's as simple as that.
17:56Because nationwide, children and teens are struggling with significantly high rates of depression,
18:01anxiety, suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation, and other mental health issues, largely because of social media.
18:10During COVID, my neighbor reached out to me, because her daughter, unfortunately, was engaging in self-mutilation.
18:18Primarily because she's on social media about 10 hours a day.
18:23We couldn't find a bed for her.
18:26And it was this, her mother contacted me, because I had to reach out and find a bed for her.
18:33It shouldn't take the Attorney General of the State of New York to find a bed for a child.
18:41Teenagers and children are spending more time online than ever before.
18:49And all of that is intentional. It's by design.
18:53Teenagers are online for at least 8 hours a day. Every day.
18:58And most of the time, they're on social media.
19:01Social media platforms manipulate what our children see online to keep them on the platforms as long as possible.
19:09In fact, just this morning, the Wall Street Journal uncovered that Instagram recommends sexual content to teenagers' accounts.
19:20And the Wall Street Journal's investigation found that Instagram pushed sexualized content within minutes of these children logging on.
19:31Within minutes.
19:34Minutes.
19:36And yes, this Attorney General, we're on it.
19:40Yes, I authorized a letter to send out to these social media platforms.
19:45Because young children should not be sexualized at all.
19:49And as most of you know,
19:56And as most of you know, Tish James loves litigation.
20:01And Tish James is not afraid to stand up to any bully.
20:13Social media platforms know that capturing attention quickly will keep children online longer.
20:19The more ads they will see, the more data can be collected basically to sell, to monetize, to advertisers.
20:25So companies have been using addictive feeds to show new content to users.
20:29And unfortunately, that includes sexual content.
20:32Basically to keep them on the platforms as long as possible.
20:35And it has taken a toll on our children's mental health.
20:38And just as we label cigarettes as addictive and hazardous to our health, we should do the same for social media platforms.
20:47It appears that social media platforms have taken a page out of Big Tobacco.
20:51And we've got to push back.
20:53Simply put, the more time young people spend on social media, the more that they are at risk at developing serious mental health concerns.
21:01But thanks to what we are doing today, hopefully the tide will now turn.
21:05But our work is not over, my friends.
21:08We're going to have to stay together in this coalition as we go forward.
21:11The legislation that Governor Hochul is signing today is the result of countless hours of hard work.
21:18And on the part of my team, and I want to thank my team, the members of the New York State Attorney General, for all that they have done.
21:24The bill sponsors, the governor's teams, and the legislator's teams, and all the advocates and stakeholders.
21:29We pounded the pavement.
21:31We talked to anyone who would listen.
21:33We helped raise this issue for months on end.
21:36We saw the social media companies, they weren't quiet.
21:39They weren't exactly quiet about their views of the bill.
21:42In fact, we would pass them in the halls of the LOB, the Legislative Office Building.
21:46But that didn't stop us, and it didn't get us down.
21:49In fact, it motivated us to keep going, to keep knocking on more doors, to gather more people in,
21:55to draw more attention to what is happening to our children.
21:58We redoubled our efforts because we knew kids and families were counting on us.
22:03They threw money, and we had bodies.
22:06Bodies and bodies of parents and parents from all over the state of New York who recognized the dangers of social media.
22:14And we knew states around the nation were watching us because, as you all know, New York always leads.
22:20And these bills that are about to be signed into law will take on the most dangerous aspects of social media,
22:25the addictive algorithmic feeds that exploit impressionable minds,
22:31the bombardment of notifications that come overnight when children need to.
22:37They must sleep and rest.
22:41The tracking and peddling of private information to children that put them at risk.
22:46These bills will empower my office to set rules and ensure companies are following them.
22:51So, again, I want to applaud Senator Gennardus, Assemblymember Rosick, for these great bills.
22:56I want to thank all of the advocates who are here today.
22:58I want to thank you so much for your leadership, as well as members of labor.
23:02I want to thank Senate Majority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Hasty, for advancing these bills.
23:08And, of course, I want to thank the great governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, for signing these bills and for leading us forward.
23:15Thank you, UFT, for hosting us.
23:17Thank you all.
23:18And, of course, thank you for everyone who is here.
23:21And thank you for all of those individuals who had hard talks and who really fought to get us here today.
23:26I truly appreciate you.
23:27And now it is my honor and my privilege to welcome up the Senate bill sponsor.
23:31Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause to Senator Andrew Gennardus.
23:35Thank you very much, Attorney General, and for Governor Hochul for having us here today, and to Mike for hosting us again.
23:53I'm standing here today for one simple reason.
23:58I want our children, my children, to live in a world where big tech does not profit at their expense, doesn't profit off their mental health,
24:07doesn't profit off their personal data, and most of all, does not profit off of their lives.
24:12By now, the link between social media and mental health is clear.
24:17The Surgeon General, as we've just heard, not Andrew Gennardus, not Nellie Rosick, not Letitia James, not Kathy Hochul,
24:25the chief public health official in this country says that social media is unsafe for kids.
24:32In fact, as we heard, he wants to put warning labels on social media apps, just like we do for cigarettes and alcohol.
24:39He has compared what's happening in social media to the equivalent of having children in cars that have no safety features and driving on roads with no speed limits.
24:50Now, social media companies claim to care about this crisis.
24:53They claim that they are doing everything they can to protect young users and create safe spaces online.
24:58But don't be mistaken for a second, because if they wanted to fix this crisis, they could like that.
25:03Remember what I said up on this very stage last October?
25:08It was in response to a question from a reporter.
25:10I said big tech was going to lie about the impact that their products have on kids,
25:15and they were going to lie about what these bills were meant to do to help.
25:20They fought us every step of the way.
25:24They spent more than a million dollars lobbying against these bills.
25:28They created astroturf coalitions to feign opposition to our bills and tried to convince us that social media algorithms are good.
25:36They waged a vigorous whisper campaign to sow doubt about our efforts and instead asked us to trust them with kids on their platform.
25:46And they spread misinformation about what these bills do and tried to claim, believe it or not, that we wanted to shut the Internet down for kids.
25:54In other words, they wanted us to believe that kids are safer without seatbelts.
26:01The fact of the matter is, their very business model is built on maximizing user engagement
26:07and keeping our eyes glued on their screens for as long as possible so that they can make money off of us.
26:14And the numbers prove it.
26:16In 2022, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok made nearly $11 billion, that's billion with a B,
26:25billion dollars in ad revenue just off of users under 18.
26:31Big tech does not care about the youth mental health crisis they've created because they are profiting off of it.
26:40But today, we're going to act.
26:43When the governor signs these bills, we are going to put seatbelts back in cars.
26:48These laws will protect children and teens from the addictive algorithms and predatory data collection
26:54that we know are keeping young people glued to their screens and hurting their mental health.
26:59These algorithms that act as heat-seeking missiles that prey upon a user's vulnerabilities and insecurities.
27:07I'm thinking about one family in particular who shared with me the TikTok feed of their son
27:12who took his life tragically two years ago this past March, suffering from depression.
27:17And his TikTok feed, one video, rainy scene with somber music, and the narrator said,
27:24if it feels like you can't go on, then it's not worth it.
27:28The next video right after that was, if you feel like it's hopeless, just remember it only takes four tablespoons of salt,
27:35which is a recipe and how-to guide for self-harm and suicide.
27:40And the video right after that was of a cartoon character pleading to another character saying,
27:46please tell me I'm okay, please tell me I'm a good person, please tell me everything will be okay.
27:51And then the response was silence.
27:54Sixteen years old. We were all 16 at one point.
27:58We were all vulnerable and insecure at one point.
28:00Imagine seeing that content for hours and hours and hours on end, no fault of your own, but by design.
28:07That's what we're here to stop today.
28:10I want to thank my partners in this fight, Governor Hochul and Attorney General James,
28:15for their steadfast partnership and support of these measures,
28:18and Assemblymember Rozic for her leadership in shepherding these bills through her chamber.
28:22I also want to thank our Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins,
28:25for never wavering in her commitment to see these bills passed in our chamber.
28:29I want to thank our incredible coalition of parents, young people, teachers, doctors,
28:34and concerned tech experts who know firsthand just how bad these products are at harming our children.
28:40And in particular, I want to thank the leadership of Common Sense Media,
28:43Mothers Against Media Addiction, NYSIT, and the UFT.
28:47These protections are not radical.
28:51They are not restrictions on free speech.
28:53They are not anti-innovation and they are not anti-tech.
28:57They are common sense.
28:59They create an internet that is safer and better for everyone.
29:03They make clear that our children's privacy and their mental health are not for sale.
29:08And they are a statement of our values.
29:11That our kids, no matter what, will always come first.
29:15Thank you very much to this incredible coalition.
29:17Thank you to our Governor and our Attorney General.
29:19And I especially want to thank, again, my colleague, Assemblymember Millie Rozic,
29:23for her leadership in getting this through.
29:25So, Millie.
29:39Give it up for Senator Ginnardus one more time.
29:46I was going to say this at the end, but I know that Evan and James, your kids, are really proud of you today.
29:52So, thank you.
29:53It's so nice to be back at UFT since full circle.
29:57We were here in the fall.
29:59And I'm thrilled to be here with good news and good change.
30:03Because before today, as has been said many times,
30:06the last time children's internet safety laws were significantly updated was in the year 2000.
30:14I was 14.
30:16There were no iPhones, let alone apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok.
30:22Our online world is drastically different.
30:26The cost of using social media is drastically different.
30:31Spending time on social media is ten times more dangerous for kids than other kinds of screen time.
30:38And we know, as has been said, there's a direct correlation between the explosion of social media
30:44and a rise in the rates of self-harm, anxiety, depression, suicide amongst kids and teens.
30:51As evidence mounts that social media makes our kids mentally unhealthy, socially isolated, and deeply unhappy,
30:58we have left kids unprotected online.
31:01Many are frazzled, scattered, and exhausted.
31:04Too many are exploited and harmed.
31:07As the Surgeon General said, the platforms are designed to maximize how much time we all spend on them.
31:13It's one thing to do that as an adult, and I talked about that when we launched.
31:18It's another thing to do that as a child whose impulse control is still developing,
31:23whose brain is at a sensitive place and phase of development.
31:27It doesn't have to be this way.
31:30These new laws target the problem by going to the root of why minors spend so much time online, the algorithmic feed.
31:38It was designed specifically to keep users engaged as long as possible
31:42so that platforms can maximize their own revenue and keep users hooked.
31:47These laws ensure that our kids are not battling these algorithms alone.
31:51We got their backs.
31:53We know that our kids are bombarded by content, that they are not equipped to navigate without guardrails.
32:01And over the course of many decades, we have found ways to protect kids.
32:07This is just one more step.
32:10We're here to realize, as we did in years past, that we sometimes need to protect children from harm,
32:16even if it inconveniences the big companies that push these addictive features.
32:22Let kids get through their most vulnerable period of brain development
32:26before connecting them to a firehose designed to create social comparison and algorithmically chosen content.
32:34And I know, just like raising kids, getting legislation takes a village.
32:39So as has been said, I also want to thank so many of the advocates and organizations,
32:44like Common Sense Media, like Mama, like UFT, like NYSUT,
32:48who spent time, energy, organizing, meeting, calling, and emailing everyone.
32:53To all the parents who stopped me in elevators and hallways or reached out on social media.
33:00To all of my colleagues, my assembly colleagues, who signed on as co-sponsors,
33:05all 105 of them, Republicans and Democrats.
33:15And to all of them who voted for the bills.
33:18There are so many who helped get to this first-in-the-nation legislation,
33:22and I especially want to thank Speaker Hastie and his entire team.
33:27We really pushed hard at the end, and I know it was difficult because there were so many competing things,
33:32but we got this done.
33:34To Governor Hochul and Attorney General James, who have been incredible leaders on this issue,
33:39who lent not only their support early on, but the full force of their offices.
33:44That is not a little thing, so I thank both of you.
33:48And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, yes, I need to recognize my partner in the Senate,
33:57Andrew Garnardus, who's the best kind of issue champion to have in any fight.
34:02I know that your kids are proud of you, because they will see this firsthand.
34:06And of course, to our respective staffs, who really know every inch of this bill,
34:11every I, every T, thank you all for helping us make New York safe for kids.
34:16I'm really grateful.
34:23This is for you, Univision.
34:46In our efforts to address the mental health crisis and create a safer digital home for our young people.
34:57We know that content that is not prepared to navigate is being bombarded without parental limitations.
35:09We need a safer world for them.
35:13As we learn about the impact of child abuse, and often deadly, on social media,
35:21it is our responsibility as legislators and parents to provide the necessary protection
35:29and guarantee safe digital spaces for them.
35:33Thank you to our Governor Hochul and Attorney General James for their support.
35:40Thank you so much. We're here to celebrate, and I can't wait to do that.
35:44And without further ado, Melinda Person.
36:00Thank you.
36:02I want to echo all of the many thank yous that have already been said.
36:06Our amazing Governor, Attorney General, the sponsors of this legislation,
36:10and all of the advocates around the state who have made this day a reality.
36:15Leading the nation, when I saw that, I thought about this morning, I was watching CBS News,
36:22and this bill signing was the second item on the national news.
36:28So this is a really big deal, what we have done here.
36:39So I hope everyone that is witnessing this signing today really takes that in.
36:44We're not only leading the nation, but other states have been watching us,
36:49and are going to be taking this bill and bringing it to their states,
36:54so that we can protect more kids.
36:56And eventually this will be the law of the land.
36:59Eventually, we have a few things to do in November, but then this will be the law of the land.
37:09So I am here celebrating on behalf of NYSUT's 700,000 members across the state of New York,
37:15but I am also celebrating today as a mom of four,
37:19who is so grateful for this legislation, these two bills, that will protect my children,
37:25as they move into this space of being expected to be on social media by many of their peers.
37:33And I wanted to share with you an email that I got last month,
37:38right when we were in the middle of this fight, from the principal of my children's elementary school.
37:45It says, parents and guardians, I hope this message finds you and your families well.
37:51As we approach the end of the school year, I want to bring to your attention an issue that has come to our attention,
37:56regarding our 5th grade students' online interactions.
38:005th grade, 10 year olds.
38:03We have been made aware that some of our 5th grade students have been engaging in large group social media chats,
38:09where there have been attempts to find and share embarrassing videos of their classmates.
38:15As educators, it concerns us to see such behavior among our students, especially at such a young age.
38:22It goes on to recommend some activities for parents to engage in,
38:29and I thought, wow, as a parent, right, we have so much that we are responsible for,
38:36and the thing that we are most concerned with is the mental health of our children.
38:41But our parents, us parents, we need help.
38:45Because these tech companies are moving faster than we can keep up with.
38:49My 10 year old made a Google slide deck to explain to me why he needed a phone and Fortnite.
38:57And this is a real story.
39:00So I went online to say, okay, how do you do parental controls for Fortnite?
39:05Because how would I know, right?
39:07And when I Googled it, it said, how to get around your parents' parental controls for Fortnite, right?
39:14This is the world we are living in.
39:17And so I'm really proud to say that we have legislators and leaders that are stepping up to protect our children
39:25and to help us parents because we need help.
39:30Now on behalf of the educators, you all know that this social media stuff overflows into school time, right?
39:38Even when we put phones away in those caddies or the pouches, it interrupts learning.
39:45Students no longer want to interact with each other in the same way that they used to.
39:49They're glued to these phones.
39:52When you would go into a lunchroom, when I started teaching 20 some odd years ago, so loud, right?
39:59Now in the middle school lunchroom, everybody's on their phone, right?
40:05This technology and social media has changed the experience of childhood.
40:11And so I'm proud that we are taking these initial first steps to restore a humane childhood for our children, for this generation.
40:23And I give the pleasure of introducing our next speaker, Lauren Salem, a fellow mom.
40:32And there's no one that can stop a mom who's trying to protect her children.
40:36A mom that is involved with Common Sense Media. Thank you.
40:40Good afternoon.
40:53My name is Lauren Salem, and I'm a New York City mom of four.
40:56Two of my kids are here today.
41:04I'm also a proud member of the New York Advisory Council of Common Sense Media,
41:07the leading advocacy organization that supported passage of these remarkable bills.
41:11It's an honor to stand here with Governor Hochul, Attorney General James, Senator Gennardez, and Assemblymember Rozic.
41:19Thank you for being champions for New York's children.
41:22This was not an easy fight.
41:24Like David versus Goliath, we stood up to powerful social media companies and their lobbyists, lawyers, and money.
41:31And we won.
41:39Together, with so many of you in this room and others across the state, we made kids New York's top priority.
41:45And now we need to make kids across America a top priority, no matter where they live.
41:50We need to pass these bills in other states. California's next.
41:53We need the U.S. Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety and Data Privacy bills that are waiting for a vote.
41:59The parents of New York are calling on the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House to get this done.
42:11Using technology is a reality for my kids as much as it is for everyone's kids.
42:15It has so many upsides, but it presents real harms as well, harms that, as a mom, I should not have to accept.
42:24I worry about my kids' exposure to cyberbullying, predators, and harmful content.
42:29I worry about their mental health and their sleep.
42:32I worry because I'm a parent.
42:34And the burden to protect and support our kids in the digital world has primarily and unfairly fallen on us.
42:42Social media sites can and must be designed with kids' well-being in mind.
42:46But tech companies, as we've talked about, make so much money from keeping our kids glued to these devices
42:51and exploiting their personal data that they won't make the Internet safer on their own.
42:55They have to be forced to do it, and now New York has done that.
43:05So as a mother and an advocate, I have two words for our friends in the tech industry.
43:10Join us. Join the movement to protect kids online.
43:15You're already implementing changes that make kids safer on platforms in Europe.
43:19Now do it here.
43:21Design your products to protect our kids.
43:24Be on the right side of history.
43:26Be responsible. Be courageous. Be accountable.
43:29Work with the Attorney General to implement these laws.
43:32You have a choice not to fight them in court like you always do.
43:36You have a choice to do right by our kids.
43:39You have a choice to make America's kids and teen your top priority.
43:45Progress happens step by step.
43:47And here today, New York is taking a trailblazing step for our kids and our country.
43:52And for that, I am so grateful.
43:55So let's give another New York cheer for our heroes today.
43:58Governor Hochul, Attorney General James, Senator Granada, Assemblymember Rozic,
44:03you listened to us, you heard us, and you took actions to get these bills across the finish line.
44:09Common Sense Media thanks you.
44:11All parents and teachers in New York thank you.
44:14I thank you for protecting my kids and for helping all kids in our state have a healthier childhood.
44:20Please remain seated while the bills are being signed.
44:50Very well done. We're all happy today, right?
45:21Congratulations.
45:28Good to see you.
45:31Nice to meet you.
45:34Squeeze the half shoulder.
46:04Congratulations.
46:20The bill is signed.
46:50Thank you.