Illinois Passes Legislation to Protect Children on Social Media

Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) signed the Children’s Social Media Safety Act (HB5511), a sweeping set of protections designed to keep Illinois kids safe online. The bill establishes comprehensive safeguards for children against the most addictive social media platform features and strengthens protections for minors. The bill was passed with unanimous support in both chambers, reflecting the broad, bipartisan concern about tech companies profiting off the attention and mental health of Illinois children. Under the law, social media platforms in use in Illinois are required to strengthen their default privacy settings for users under 18 and limit the use of algorithms designed to keep young people scrolling. Instead, these users will only be shown content they request or search for, or that is posted by a creator or friend they follow. The law does not create any content restrictions for children and instead targets addictive and harmful design features. This means that children can still access information and community online but aren’t subjected to the most harmful and addictive features of social media platforms. Parents will set their child’s age during device setup, which then automatically adjusts design features in apps like algorithmic feeds, profile visibility, and how adult strangers can interact with them. The law also includes provisions to shield the precise location of minors and provides for further limits on digital currency transactions. ​The Illinois Attorney General is given authority to enforce the law with civil penalties up to $50,000 for each violation.