Sen. Gounardes’ Applauds Governor Hochul for Backing Landmark Protections For Children Online

Governor’s support of ‘Stop Online Predators Act’ is a major step toward stopping social media + gaming companies from profiting off of child exploitation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 13, 2026

New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes issued the following statement in response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address, which includes major portions of the Stop Online Predators Act (SOPA):

“For years, social media and gaming companies have failed to stop the rampant sexual and financial abuse of children on their platforms, because they profit from it. Today’s announcement from Governor Hochul is a major win for families who shouldn’t have to worry that Big Tech is taking advantage of their children without their knowledge. I applaud the Governor for supporting these critical protections and look forward to working with her and the Legislature to finally put our children’s safety ahead of corporate profits.”

Background:

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that she will include major portions of the Stop Online Predators Act (SOPA) in her 2026 State Budget, a major step toward stopping social media and gaming companies from profiting off the exploitation of children on their platforms. The decision comes as gaming platforms like Roblox reported over 13,000 instances of child exploitation in just one year, while other social media and gaming companies have failed to meaningfully prevent similar abuse on their platforms. 

The “Stop Online Predators Act,” sponsored by Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Nily Rozic, would address this urgent problem by requiring gaming and social media platforms to utilize a commercially reasonable form of age assurance in order to determine the actual age of their users, turn off open chat functions by default for kids, unless a parent switches them back on, so adult strangers can’t privately message minors. It would require children’s profiles be set to private so strangers can’t view them without a friend request, and only let adults message children if their friend request has been accepted, which would require parental approval for users under 13. 

The law would also require parents to approve financial transactions connected to a child’s account and, for kids under 13, allow parents to view the account’s list of approved friends. Enforcement against violations of the bill would be vested in the New York State Attorney General, who would be empowered to pursue damages of $5,000 per violation.

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

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