New York Attorney General Letitia James released final rules implementing the SAFE for Kids Act, which requires social media companies to restrict algorithmically personalized feeds and nighttime notifications for users under 18 unless they obtain parental consent. The rules establish age assurance standards, parental consent procedures, and data minimization requirements, with civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation for noncompliance.
Social media companies must implement age assurance methods meeting accuracy benchmarks, offer at least one alternative to government ID, delete or de-identify age data immediately after use, and conduct annual testing with results retained for 10 years. Parental consent must be obtained for addictive feeds and nighttime notifications, and minors can withdraw consent at any time. The OAG may seek civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation and injunctive relief.
In-house legal teams should review their platform terms of service, privacy policies, and data processing agreements to ensure compliance with the SAFE for Kids Act. Key clauses to update include age verification mechanisms, parental consent workflows, data minimization and deletion obligations for age assurance data, and restrictions on algorithmic feeds and nighttime notifications for minors. Vendor agreements with age verification service providers should include accuracy benchmarks, annual testing requirements, and data protection provisions. Customer-facing agreements (terms of service) must clearly explain how minors can opt out of addictive feeds and how parents can grant or withdraw consent.
Entity
New York State Office of the Attorney General
Industry
Social MediaOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-and-governor-hochul-release-final-safe-kids-act-rules
safe for kids act final rule
https://ag.ny.gov/safe-for-kids-act-final-rule
safe for kids act nprm
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/regulatory-documents/safe-for-kids-act-nprm.pdf
protecting children online
https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/consumer-issues/technology/protecting-children-online
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"New York Attorney General Letitia James"
"civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation"
"SAFE for Kids Act"
"New York Child Data Protection Act"
"restrict algorithmically personalized feeds and nighttime notifications for users under the age of 18 unless they obtain parental consent"
New York Attorney General Letitia James released an updated guide warning voters that AI-generated election content and chatbots may provide misleading information. This is public guidance, not an enforcement action, and the release describes no penalty or privacy violation.
$500K
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement with Bloomberg L.P. after finding that Bloomberg News failed to clearly disclose subscription price increases and automatic renewals, provide required acknowledgments and renewal notices, and make cancellation sufficiently easy. Bloomberg must pay $500,000 in penalties, provide refunds to eligible subscribers, and improve its subscription disclosures and practices.
$220.0M
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition secured a $220 million settlement from General Motors LLC for selling drivers’ personal driving and location data to data brokers without adequate disclosure or consent. GM must limit the driving data it collects and implement privacy assessments and dealership oversight and training.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 24 other states and the District of Columbia challenged a federal rule imposing additional proof requirements on some medically frail Medicaid recipients. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted summary judgment, declaring a central provision of the rule illegal and blocking it.
$24K
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement with Frank W. Cawood & Associates, Inc. over mailers that advertised books as free or no-risk while obscuring payment and return terms. The company must end the program in New York, pay $23,500, and provide refunds to eligible consumers.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert about fire risks from e-bike and other lithium-ion batteries and shared safety and disposal recommendations. The release describes no privacy enforcement action, monetary penalty, or remedy.