The Illinois House has passed a sweeping new bill aimed at regulating how social media companies interact with minors, as concerns grow over the addictive nature of online platforms among children. House Bill 5511, known as the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, received strong bipartisan support in an 82-27 vote and now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Championed by Governor JB Pritzker, the proposed legislation is designed to make social media less addictive for young users without setting age-based usage limits. Instead, the bill requires platforms to prompt users to enter their age when creating an account. If a user is under 18, the platform must apply specific protective settings.
Key provisions of the bill include:
Feed Regulation: Social media feeds for minors cannot be persistently tailored based on prior interactions or content shared. Instead, users will only see posts from creators or people they actively follow. Any new or additional content would be accessible only through direct search.
Enhanced Privacy Defaults: Platforms must set default privacy settings for minors that block addictive feeds, location sharing, and digital currency transactions.
Notification Restrictions: Social media platforms are forbidden from sending notifications to minors between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Fines for Noncompliance: Companies violating these requirements would face financial penalties.
If enacted, the law would take effect in 2028. Despite the crackdown on certain features, Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz clarified that the bill does not impose restrictions on the types of content available to minors.
Governor Pritzker emphasized the need for regulatory action on social media during his February State of the State address, and the measure has found bipartisan support. Nine House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to advance the bill. However, some Republican lawmakers said they would withhold support until further revisions are made in the Senate.
In addition to the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, Governor Pritzker is also urging lawmakers to consider taxing social media companies based on their Illinois user base.
The bill represents the latest effort by state leaders to address youth social media addiction, a growing concern that has become a bipartisan priority in Springfield.