New York mandates social media platforms to display mental health warnings for users

Social Media is interconnected within everyone's daily life as it connects people all over the world (billions of people). However, different studies indicate that spending too much time on these types of platforms can adversely affect your Mental Health (causing Anxiety, Depression, etc.) Thus, New York State is proactively acting to help safeguard the Mental Health of its residents.

Laws Recently Enacted

As part of this recently enacted law, all social networking sites will now have to post mental health warnings to help warn users of the potential risks of using the platform for extended periods, such as negatively impacting their moods, their sleep, and their general well-being, as well as other related issues. Any social media platform that does not comply with these requirements can and will be penalized in line with the state's continued commitment to promote good mental health for all.

Importance of Awareness of Mental Well-being

As the past few years have shown, mental well-being is an increasingly important topic within society due to growing use of social media, influencing people's perceptions of themselves, their bodies, and their ability to pay attention. One step toward supporting people's healthy use of social media is to make them aware of any potential negative impact the sites could have on them.

How Major Platforms Will Adapt

As we start to see more people posting about the impact of social media on their mental health, major social media platforms have committed to implementing warning labels, prompts and reminders for users. Examples of ways that may be applied include; users receiving notifications after using a site for too long or receiving alerts about content that could negatively impact their mental health. However, the goal of these efforts is not to prevent people from using their services, but rather provide information to allow for informed, considered engagement with the services provided through the platforms.

The Broader Impact

The decision made by New York may lead to replication by other states and countries. The goal is to proactively deal with mental health to make the internet safe and for the government to raise awareness of responsible use of social media.