Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta recently agreed to new restrictions on teen use of social media after settling a lawsuit brought by New York and other states over allegedly addictive features. At the same time, New York’s SAFE for Kids Act will take effect January 25. Both the Meta settlement and the New York law will restrict algorithmically personalized feeds and have the potential to significantly impact how teens in New York interact with social media on a daily basis.
In January, New York’s SAFE for Kids Act will require social media platforms to restrict algorithmically personalized feeds for users under 18 unless the user and a parent consent. Without that consent, minors will instead see content they follow or select in a set order. The law will also bar notifications related to those algorithmic feeds between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent. A separate Meta settlement, approved by a judge in August, goes further. Users under 18 will have a default two-hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram, blocked access to most features from midnight to 6 a.m. and muted notifications from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m (when schools are in session).
Over the summer, Meta settled a lawsuit over how social media algorithms target teens. The settlement will result in changes to the teen user experience of Instagram and Facebook. Picture above, a security guard stands watch by the Meta sign outside the headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc in Mountain View, California, U.S. November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva (REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Peter Dasilva)
Nonetheless, in interviews with multiple Townsend Harris students it is clear that with or without social media algorithms, teen phones will remain far from unused. The Classic asked six students across grade levels what phone apps they most spend their time on outside of social media apps and how those apps fit into their daily routines.
For some students, their most-used apps reflected how much they use their smartphones for academics.
Sophomore Mirsab Forhad said Google Classroom is one of his most-used apps, alongside Tetris and Roblox.
“Google Classroom is really important to me for my everyday routine,” Mirsab said, adding that it helps him stay on top of his work and submit assignments on time.
For seniors Stella Hwang and Adel Alam, web browsers took up much of their screen time outside of social media. Stella said she spent close to two hours on Google a day, which she said she uses for both school and entertainment. “Google makes studying and entertainment way easier,” she said.
Adel said he spent a similar amount of daily time on Safari. “I need it to do my schoolwork,” he said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the SAFE for Kids Act into law on June 20, 2024. Over the summer, final rules for enforcement were released and the law goes into effect in January. Pictured above, Governor Hochul speaks to the media during a rally with immigration advocates in New York City, U.S., June 25, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/ File Photo (REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Eduardo Munoz)
Students also use their phones for extracurriculars. Sophomore Aryan Sheikh said he spends around 30 to 45 minutes a day on Canva, which he uses for graphic design and public relations work for a club where he serves as a board member. “I use it for school, extracurriculars, and also in my free time,” Aryan said. He said that rather than feeling he spends too much time on Canva, he sees the app as a way to improve his design skills.
Junior Raihan Hossain said his most-used app outside of social media is Libby, a digital reading app. Raihan said that he spends around an hour and a half on the app each day. “I use it the most when I’m commuting because that’s like the only free time I have to actually read,” he said.
Raihan said that by using Libby during his morning commute, he said he feels less guilty later when playing games or using social media.
Freshman Shaikh Saafir’s choice was the Weather app. Although each check may last only a few seconds, Saafir said he opens it several times a day.
“It’s more of a daily necessity,” Shaikh said.
How much of a daily necessity other apps will become once social media restrictions kick in remains to be seen.
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