New York Assembly Bill A04065

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/31/25
• Refer: 1/31/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires social media networks to use a third party vendor to verify the age of new and existing social media account holders.

Summary

This bill would amend New York’s General Business Law to require social media networks to verify the age of both new and existing account holders. New accounts would have to be age-verified within 30 days of opening, and existing accounts would need verification within 30 days of the user’s first attempt to access the account after the law takes effect if no age verification has already been provided. The bill requires social media networks to use a third-party vendor to perform the verification. If an account holder does not complete the required age verification within the applicable time period, the platform must deny access to the account until verification is completed. The bill also directs the state’s consumer protection division to establish the procedures, acceptable forms of identification, receipt confirmations, and data retention and disposal rules for the verification process. It further limits the use of any collected information to age-verification compliance only.

Impact

The bill would create a new section of the General Business Law governing social media age verification and would impose compliance obligations on social media networks operating in New York. It would also give the consumer protection division authority to set implementation standards, including acceptable identification methods and privacy safeguards for handling verification data. Affected parties would include social media companies, third-party verification vendors, and account holders who may be required to provide government-issued or other approved identification to maintain access.

Sentiment

There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no formal legislative debate or vote-based sentiment can be identified. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a consumer protection and youth-safety proposal, with an emphasis on platform accountability and age assurance. The absence of recorded opposition or support in the supplied context means sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the bill’s apparent protective intent.

Contention

The main points of contention likely concern privacy, data security, and the burden of mandatory age verification. Requiring third-party verification and the collection of identification information may raise concerns about how personal data is stored, retained, and used, even though the bill limits use of the information to compliance purposes. Another likely issue is access: critics may argue that mandatory verification could create barriers for users who lack standard identification or who are reluctant to share sensitive information, while supporters may view those requirements as necessary to protect minors and improve platform safety.