Governor Sherrill Signs Legislation Protecting Kids' Mental Health Online, Social Media

Governor Mikie Sherrill has signed three bills into law aimed at protecting children's mental health when using social media platforms. The new legislation, collectively known as the New Jersey Kids Code Act, establishes requirements for online service providers, restricts data collection from minors, and creates a state-level research center to study social media's impact on young people. Union County families and schools should understand these new protections and how they affect children's online experiences.

Union County Life covers state legislation, youth protection, and policies affecting all 21 Union County municipalities and residents.

Governor's Commitment

Governor Sherrill, speaking as both a policymaker and a parent, emphasized the urgency of protecting children from social media's potentially addictive design. "As a mom of four, I have seen firsthand how social media platforms can affect our kids and how often parents are left to fight this battle alone," Sherrill said. "Technology companies have designed platforms that hijack our kid's attention spans, constantly rolling out new, addictive features that have serious negative consequences for our children's long-term health and well-being. With these new laws, we are putting real protections in place for children online, better supporting parents across our state, and making clear that technology companies have a responsibility to put kids' safety ahead of profits."

The New Jersey Kids Code Act

The primary legislation, the New Jersey Kids Code Act, establishes an age-appropriate design code and requires certain online service providers to implement specific protections for minors' use of online services.

Key protections include:

Data collection restrictions: The law limits the ability of data companies to collect personal information from children, reducing the data profiles that tech companies can build on young users.

Advertising restrictions: Advertisements directed at minors are restricted, limiting targeted marketing that exploits children's psychological vulnerabilities.

Default privacy settings: Online providers are required to set default settings to the highest level of safety and privacy, shifting the burden from parents having to opt-in to protections toward automatic protection for all users.

User control and reporting: Children and parents gain greater control over online experiences, including algorithmic recommendations and interactions. The law establishes mechanisms for reporting harmful experiences and content.

What This Means for Union County Families

For Union County parents and students, these protections offer new safeguards against exploitative design practices. Parents will have clearer tools to manage their children's online safety, and social media platforms will face legal obligations to prioritize youth safety over engagement metrics.

The restrictions on data collection and targeted advertising directly address the business practices that make social media platforms profitable—collecting data on young users and selling targeted ads. By limiting these practices, the law makes it harder for platforms to exploit children's vulnerabilities.

The Social Media Research Center

The legislation also establishes the Social Media Research Center at a four-year public institution of higher education. This center will conduct research on social media's impact on young people and develop evidence-based recommendations to reduce harmful effects.

The Research Center's mission includes:

• Researching the impacts of social media use on children and minors

• Providing policy recommendations to state agencies

• Developing educational resources about social media risks

• Recommending strategies to address addictive social media behaviors

The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education has launched a request for proposals to establish the Center in the fall. Once operational, the center will issue a report within 18 months with findings and recommendations to support potential rulemaking by the New Jersey Department of Health.

State-Level Coordination

On her first day as governor, Sherrill signed an executive order creating the Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness within the New Jersey Department of Health. This office coordinates efforts across state government to keep children safe online, ensuring that youth mental health and digital safety are priorities across multiple state agencies.

Bipartisan Support

The legislation received support from lawmakers across the state, including Senator Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) and Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (D-Burlington).

"Today, we are living in a moment of real concern for the well-being of our youth, as parents and educators alike see the growing pressures they face online," said Greenstein. "This legislation recognizes that urgency by ensuring we have the research and tools necessary to better understand the impact of social media and take the necessary steps to protect young people's mental health."

Katz emphasized the level playing field the law creates: "For too long, parents have had to compete with multimillion-dollar algorithms just to keep their kids safe. That's not a fair fight, and it's time we leveled the playing field. Protecting our children's mental health and safety online requires more than one solution, and this package delivers that. I'm proud we got this across the finish line and New Jersey has taken a big step to put the safety of our children first in the digital world."

Youth and Mental Health Advocates Applaud Action

Major national advocacy organizations support New Jersey's new laws as a model for protecting youth online.

Julie Scelfo, Founder and Executive Director of Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), said: "These landmark pieces of legislation are critical steps to make the digital world safer for New Jersey kids. MAMA parents across New Jersey and nationwide are grateful to Governor Sherrill for her leadership and for signing these bills that will protect children's health and safety, while also holding tech companies accountable when their product designs cause harm to our kids."

Danny Weiss, Chief Advocacy Officer at Common Sense Media, noted: "Momentum is building across the states to make kids' well-being in the digital age a top priority and New Jersey is very much a part of this groundswell. This new law holds social media companies accountable for design choices that drive compulsive use among young people. It includes a strong duty of care, a private right of action, and attorney general enforcement."

Additional organizations supporting the laws include the New Jersey School Boards Association, New Jersey PTA, the Tech Oversight Project, and the Urban League of Hudson County, reflecting broad coalition support.

What Union County Residents Should Know

The new laws take effect as specified in their implementation language. Union County parents should familiarize themselves with the new protections and consider discussing social media use and online safety with their children.

Schools and school districts will also benefit from the state-level research being conducted through the Social Media Research Center, which will provide educational resources about social media risks and evidence-based recommendations for schools.

Find more Union County policy news, youth protection initiatives, and state legislation affecting your community on Union County Life.

FAQ

Q: What is the New Jersey Kids Code Act?
A: Legislation signed by Governor Sherrill that establishes age-appropriate design standards and requires online service providers to implement protections for minors' use of social media and online services.

Q: What does the Kids Code Act prohibit?
A: The law limits data collection from children, restricts advertisements directed at minors, requires default privacy settings at the highest level, and establishes mechanisms for reporting harmful experiences.

Q: Does this law restrict children's access to social media?
A: No. The law regulates how platforms design and operate, but does not ban social media use. It focuses on limiting exploitative data collection and advertising practices.

Q: What is the Social Media Research Center?
A: A research center to be established at a New Jersey four-year public college or university to study social media's impact on youth and develop evidence-based recommendations to reduce harmful effects.

Q: When will the Social Media Research Center be established?
A: The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education launched a request for proposals in fall 2026 to establish the center.

Q: What will the research center study?
A: Addictive social media behaviors, warning labels, advertising disclaimers, and strategies to reduce harmful effects of social media use among children.

Q: When will the research center issue its report?
A: Within 18 months of establishment.

Q: Who does this law apply to?
A: All children and families in New Jersey, including Union County residents. Online service providers that serve New Jersey users must comply.

Q: How can parents help their children stay safe online?
A: Discuss social media use with children, set expectations about screen time, use built-in parental controls, and report harmful content. These new laws add legal protections.