Assembly Bill A8947

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8947
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 16, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SEAWRIGHT  --  read once and referred to the
   Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education  law,  in  relation  to  establishing  the
   "youth  &  teen internet safety and social media literacy act"; and to
   repeal certain provisions of law relating thereto

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "youth & teen internet safety and social media literacy act".
   § 2. Section 814 of the education law is REPEALED and  a  new  section
 814 is added to read as follows:
   §  814.  COURSES OF STUDY IN YOUTH AND TEEN INTERNET SAFETY AND SOCIAL
 MEDIA LITERACY. 1. ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN  THE  STATE  MAY  PROVIDE,  TO
 PUPILS  IN  GRADES  KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELVE, INSTRUCTION DESIGNED TO
 PROMOTE THE PROPER AND SAFE USE OF THE INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ARTI-
 FICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
   2. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  TO  ASSIST  IN
 THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  CURRICULA FOR SUCH COURSES OF STUDY WHICH SHALL BE
 AGE APPROPRIATE AND DEVELOPED ACCORDING TO THE NEEDS  AND  ABILITIES  OF
 PUPILS AT SUCCESSIVE GRADE LEVELS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AWARENESS, SKILLS,
 INFORMATION,  AND  SUPPORT  TO  AID  IN  THE SAFE USAGE OF THE INTERNET,
 SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
   3. (A) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DEVELOP  AGE-APPROPRIATE  RESOURCES  AND
 TECHNICAL  ASSISTANCE  FOR  SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE TO STUDENTS IN GRADES SIX
 THROUGH TWELVE AND THEIR PARENTS OR LEGAL GUARDIANS CONCERNING THE  SAFE
 AND RESPONSIBLE USE OF THE INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ARTIFICIAL INTEL-
 LIGENCE.
   (B) SUCH RESOURCES SHALL INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I)  TIME  MANAGEMENT AND HEALTHY BEHAVIORS ON THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL
 MEDIA;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13248-02-5
 A. 8947                             2
              

 
   (II) THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA,  INCLUDING
 ADDICTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA;
   (III) THE DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA;
   (IV) HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN MANIPULATE BEHAVIOR;
   (V) THE PERMANENCY OF SHARING MATERIALS ONLINE;
   (VI) HOW TO USE THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA SAFELY, INCLUDING:
   (A) MAINTAINING PERSONAL SECURITY;
   (B) PREVENTING OVERSHARING OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION;
   (C)  IDENTIFYING  CYBERBULLYING, PREDATORY BEHAVIOR, AND INAPPROPRIATE
 CONTENT; AND
   (D) HOW TO REPORT  SUSPICIOUS  OR  CRIMINAL  BEHAVIOR  ENCOUNTERED  ON
 SOCIAL MEDIA;
   (VII)  COPYRIGHT LAWS ON WRITTEN MATERIAL, PHOTOGRAPHS, MUSIC, VIDEOS,
 AND OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA; AND
   (VIII) THE  LEGAL  AND  NON-LEGAL  CONSEQUENCES  OF  SHARING  SEXUALLY
 EXPLICIT CONTENT OR MATERIALS WHETHER ONLINE OR IN PERSON.
   4.  (A)  THE  COMMISSIONER SHALL DEVELOP AGE-APPROPRIATE RESOURCES AND
 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE TO STUDENTS IN GRADES  THREE
 THROUGH  FIVE  AND  THEIR PARENTS OR LEGAL GUARDIANS CONCERNING THE SAFE
 AND RESPONSIBLE USE OF THE INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ARTIFICIAL INTEL-
 LIGENCE.
   (B) THESE RESOURCES SHALL INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I) TIME MANAGEMENT AND HEALTHY BEHAVIORS ON THE INTERNET  AND  SOCIAL
 MEDIA;
   (II)  THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA, INCLUDING
 ADDICTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA;
   (III) THE DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA;
   (IV) HOW THE INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ARTIFICIAL  INTELLIGENCE  CAN
 MANIPULATE BEHAVIOR;
   (V) THE PERMANENCY OF SHARING MATERIALS ONLINE;
   (VI)  HOW  TO  USE THE INTERNET, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLI-
 GENCE SAFELY, INCLUDING:
   (A) MAINTAINING PERSONAL SECURITY;
   (B) PREVENTING OVERSHARING OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION;
   (C) IDENTIFYING CYBERBULLYING, PREDATORY BEHAVIOR,  AND  INAPPROPRIATE
 CONTENT; AND
   (D)  HOW  TO  REPORT  SUSPICIOUS  OR  CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR ENCOUNTERED ON
 SOCIAL MEDIA; AND
   (VII) COPYRIGHT LAWS ON WRITTEN MATERIAL, PHOTOGRAPHS, MUSIC,  VIDEOS,
 AND OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA.
   5. COURSES OF STUDY PERTAINING TO INTERNET SAFETY, SOCIAL MEDIA LITER-
 ACY, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MAY BE BASED ON THE PEER-TO-PEER OBSER-
 VATIONAL LEARNING AND MODELING CONCEPTS.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.