Pritzker Signs Law Regulating How Social Media Platforms Interact with Children
The law requires chronological feeds, limits stranger contact and lets parents override defaults, with the Illinois attorney general able to seek $50,000 penalties.
- On Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 5511, the Children's Social Media Safety Act, mandating stricter privacy protections and limiting algorithmic content feeds for Illinois users younger than 18.
- Pritzker argued social media platforms intentionally design algorithms to keep users engaged, stating, "Their algorithms learn what captures a child's attention," while addressing rising depression rates and sleep disruption among minors.
- The law requires an "age assurance system" that avoids facial recognition, disables notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and displays chronological feeds rather than targeted content. Parents retain the ability to adjust these default privacy settings.
- Attorney General Kwame Raoul will enforce the law, with penalties up to $7,500 per child for intentional violations and up to $2,500 for unintentional ones. The American Civil Liberties Union and Illinois Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill citing First Amendment concerns.
- Scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2028, the law exempts news websites, email providers, and broadband services. Chief House sponsor state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz said the bill "doesn't solve this problem on its own, but it says something important.
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Pritzker signs law targeting addictive social media features for kids
Governor JB Pritzker signed the Children's Online Social Media Safety Act into law, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2028, to establish stricter online protections for minors in Illinois.
Illinois law restricts addictive social media features for children - KBSI FOX23 News Cape Girardeau News
CHICAGO, Ill., (KBSI) — Illinois social media users younger than 18 will receive stronger default privacy protections and face limits on algorithm-driven content under a new law signed Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker. The Children’s Social Media Safety Act, House Bill 5511, passed unanimously in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. It is scheduled to take effect in 2028. Under the law, minors’ social media feeds will generally be limited t…
New Illinois law aims to rein in ‘snake oil’ social media apps getting kids hooked on scrolling – Chicago Sun-Times
The legislation puts guardrails around how companies can direct content to young people, rather than restrict the content itself. Kids will still have access to the popular apps, but their feeds will be limited to accounts that they follow — not targeted content — with posts shared in chronological order. Their profiles won’t be accessible to adult strangers, with notifications blacked out from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
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