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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 21 June 2024
New York moves to limit ‘addictive’ social media feeds for kids

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Newsom in 2019 signed a
Associated Press bill allowing school districts
New York Gov. Kathy Ho- to limit or ban smartphones
chul on Thursday signed a while at school.
bill that would allow par- There hasn’t been broad
ents to block their children legislation on the subject
from getting social media at the federal level but it
posts suggested by a plat- is a common point of dis-
form’s algorithm, a move to cussion in Washington. This
limit feeds critics argue are week the U.S. surgeon gen-
addictive. eral called on Congress to
Under the legislation, feeds put warning labels on so-
on apps like TikTok and In- cial media platforms similar
stagram would be limited to those on cigarettes, cit-
for people under age 18 to ing mental health dangers
posts from accounts they for children using the sites.
follow, rather than content Some tech companies,
suggested by an automat- with pressure mounting,
ed algorithm. It would also have decided to set up
block platforms from send- In this still image taken from video of the Office of the New York Governor, New York Gov. Kathy parental controls on their
ing minors notifications on Hochul speaks during a bill signing, in New York, Thursday, June 20, 2024. platforms. Last year, Meta,
suggested posts between Associated Press the parent company of
midnight and 6 a.m. Facebook and Instagram,
Both provisions could be right to do this, that parents ternet by the State of New algorithms use a variety of created tools that allowed
turned off if a minor gets should have say over their York,” Carl Szabo, vice factors to curate that con- parents to set time limits on
what the bill defines as children’s lives and their president and general tent, including what a user the apps for children.
“verifiable parental con- health, not you,” Hochul, counsel of NetChoice, said has clicked on before and The New York legislation,
sent.” a Democrat, said at a bill in a statement. “New York interests of other people debuted last October, had
The law does not take ef- signing ceremony in Man- has created a way for the with similar preferences. faced major pushback in
fect immediately. State hattan. government to track what The bill marks the latest at- the Legislature from the
Attorney General Letitia The signing is the first step sites people visit and their tempt by a state to regu- tech industry.
James is now tasked with in what is expected to be online activity by forcing late social media as part “Social media platforms
crafting rules to determine a drawn out process of rule websites to censor all con- of concerns over how chil- manipulate what our chil-
mechanisms for verifying making, and a probable tent unless visitors provide dren interact with the plat- dren see online to keep
a user’s age and paren- lawsuit from social media an ID to verify their age.” forms. them on the platforms
tal consent. After the rules companies to block the Most of the biggest social California Gov. Gavin New- as long as possible,” said
are finalized, social media law. media platforms send users som this week announced James, a Democrat who
companies will have 180 NetChoice, a tech industry a steady stream of suggest- plans to work with the Leg- pushed for the bill. “The
days to implement the reg- trade group that includes ed videos, photographs islature on a bill to restrict more time young people
ulations. X and Meta, has criticized and other content, using smartphone usage for stu- spend on social media,
“We can protect our kids. the legislation as unconsti- a computer to try and pre- dents during the school the more they are at risk of
We can tell the companies tutional. dict what will keep users day, though he didn’t pro- developing serious mental
that you are not allowed to “This is an assault on free entertained and engaged vide exact details on what health concerns.”q
do this, you don’t have a speech and the open in- for as long as possible. The the proposal would include.

Judy Garland’s hometown is raising funds to purchase stolen

‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers

purchase the prized foot- Auctions executive vice and-beads-bedazzled slip-
wear after it was stolen president, told Minne- pers. Their whereabouts re-
from a local museum and sota Public Radio. “Once mained a mystery until the
then later turned over to an they’re gone, all the mon- FBI recovered them in 2018.
auction company. ey in the world can’t buy The man who stole the slip-
Grand Rapids, Minnesota, them back.” pers, Terry Jon Martin, 76,
where the late actress was The funds will supplement pleaded guilty in October
born in 1922, is fundraising the $100,000 set aside this to theft of a major artwork,
at its annual Judy Garland year by Minnesota law- admitting to using a ham-
festival, which kicks off makers to purchase the mer to smash the glass of
Thursday. The north Min- slippers. the museum’s door and
nesota town is soliciting Dallas-based Heritage display case in what his at-
donations to bring the slip- Auctions received the slip- torney said was an attempt
pers back after an auction pers from Michael Shaw, to pull off “one last score”
company takes them on the memorabilia collector after turning away from a
an international tour be- who originally owned the life of crime. He was sen-
Ruby slippers once worn by Judy Garland in the “The Wizard of fore offering them up to iconic shoes. Shaw had tenced in January to time
Oz,” are displayed at a news conference, Sept. 4, 2018, at the prospective buyers in De- loaned them in 2005 to the served because of his poor
FBI office in Brooklyn Center, Minn.
Associated Press cember. Judy Garland Museum in health.
“They could sell for $1 mil- Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In March, a second man,
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) actress who wore a pair of lion, they could sell for $10 That summer, someone 76-year-old Jerry Hal Saliter-
— The Minnesota home- ruby slippers in “The Wizard million. They’re priceless,” smashed through a display man, was charged in con-
town of Judy Garland, the of Oz,” is raising money to Joe Maddalena, Heritage case and stole the sequins- nection with the theft. q