Stop Online Predators Act: S4609-A Gounardes / A6549-A Rozic

MEMORANDUM OF SUPPORT

S4609-A Gounardes / A6549-A Rozic
Establishes the “stop online predators act”

The above-referenced legislation would require operators of covered platforms to conduct age verification to determine whether a user is a covered minor and require operators to utilize certain default privacy settings for covered minors. The New York State Catholic Conference supports this bill.

Digital media platforms have unfortunately provided new and easier pathways for child predators to target vulnerable children. Young people spend hours a day using screens and various online programs, often unsupervised. Many of these platforms contain chat or direct message features that allow nefarious actors access to children under the cover of anonymity. Too many children, not realizing the danger, fall victim to these predators. Minors have been driven to suicide, sexually abused, and trafficked because of these communications.

Policies that protect children must keep up with ever-changing technology. This legislation would provide practical safety measures by mandating default privacy settings for minor users, preventing predators from accessing the child’s location or contacting them directly. We applaud the sponsors for prioritizing this issue and urge that this bill be passed and signed into law.