NYSUT President Melinda Person released the following statement in response to the governor signing two bills: the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act and The New York Child Data Protection Act:
“Protecting children online in the midst of a mental health crisis is common sense, and we are proud that New York is leading the way,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person.
“The legislation advanced by Attorney General James, Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Rozic, and signed by Governor Hochul, will take historic action to address the most dangerous aspects of social media. NYSUT educators across the state made their voices heard to support these bills, and we will continue to do everything in our power to safeguard the mental health of our students.”
With the support of education and parent groups, NYSUT has been supporting these two bills since their introduction last fall.
In her remarks at the signing ceremony in NYC on Thursday, President Person noted that these two new laws mark a first-in-the-nation move to curb the damaging effects of social media on our children. She, along with the other advocates and lawmakers, stressed that this is just the beginning when it comes to addressing the effects of social media and cellphones on our children.
In September, NYSUT will bring together educators, mental health providers, union leaders, school district leaders, parents, elected officials, and advocates for Disconnected, a conference for sharing strategies and solutions to the impact of cell phones, social media, and technology on children, schools, and learning. We look forward to your active participation in this important event. Learn more and save the date here.