Gov. Pritzker signs Children’s Social Media Act into law. What you need to know | #childpredator | #kidsaftey | #childsaftey

ILLINOIS (KFVS) – Governor JB Pritzker signed the Children’s Social Media Safety Act into law on Friday morning, July 31.

The bill was designed to protect children on social media. It was passed unanimously in both chambers.

“Big social media companies understand and have confessed to how their platforms and addictive algorithms harm our children – anxiety, safety risks, financial scam and manipulation – but refuse to take meaningful action on their own,” Governor JB Pritzker said in a news release. “I’m proud that Illinois is stepping up where big tech has abandoned their responsibility with the Children’s Online Social Media Safety Act – another nation-leading action to protect our kids.”

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.

Instead, the users will only be shown content they request or search for or that is posted by a creator or friend they follow.

According to the governor’s office, parents will set their child’s age during device set up, which then automatically adjusts design features in apps like algorithmic feeds, profile visibility and how adult strangers can interact with them.

It also includes ways to hide the precise location of minors and further limits digital currency transactions.

The Illinois attorney general is given authority to enforce the law with civil penalties up to $50,000 for each violation.

Some of the key features of the law include:

• Implementation Logistics – The law requires an age verification process on devices to protects kids’ data and avoid the need for apps to ask for IDs or facial recognition to confirm a child’s age. Companies already have this technology available, and the State has set an implementation timeline of 2028.
• Platforms Covered – The law includes social media platforms known to have addictive algorithms (e.g. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X) as well as platforms where children can communicate with strangers, like online gaming platforms (e.g. Roblox). The law explicitly notes that news media, broadband service providers, email providers, and learning management systems are not covered platforms and are not subject to this law.
• Protecting Children from Strangers Online – The default features limit children’s exposure to adult strangers. Children’s profiles will not be visible or searchable by adult strangers and will not appear on their “for you” pages. Children will not receive messages, share locations, or engage in financial transactions through social media with adult strangers. Children can still socialize and have full social media functionality with trusted adults and family members by following/friending.
• Limiting Nighttime Notifications – Ensures that any social media notifications designed to bring children back to the algorithm at all hours of the night are disabled between 10 p.m.-7 a.m., while still allowing notifications for messages to communicate with their friends and loved ones.
• Empowering Parents – The protections will be default on kids’ devices, but parents can choose to override the default settings or other design features, tailoring the online experience for their family.
• What it Looks Like – Children can still access their favorite apps. But instead of being fed targeted, addictive content, their main feed of photos and/or videos would only people that they follow, in chronological order. They also would not receive notifications spawned by the addictive feed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Their profiles would not be accessible to adult strangers.

You can click here to read the full text of House Bill 5511.