The Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation on Apr. 17 backed by State Representative Jeff Keicher to create new safeguards aimed at protecting children from social media addiction. The measure, known as House Bill 5511, establishes the Children’s Social Media Safety Act.
Supporters say the legislation is a response to growing concerns about how social media affects young people. The bill seeks to prevent social media companies from using addictive algorithms that feed content specifically designed to keep users under age 18 engaged for longer periods.
“Social media addiction has become a major problem, especially for children and teens with developing brains that are being fed content to deliberately drive that addiction,” Keicher said. “Safeguards are needed, and I supported this legislation as a step in the right direction to protect children from these addictive algorithms and empower parents, as they should be, to protect their children.”
House Bill 5511 would require platforms to change how content is delivered so that scrolling becomes less addictive for minors. This legislative move comes amid national debates about technology’s impact on youth mental health.
Keicher, a Republican who was elected in 2018 to represent Illinois’ 70th House District after replacing Robert W. Pritchard, has been involved in efforts addressing issues affecting families and young people according to Ballotpedia.
The bill now moves forward in the legislative process as lawmakers continue discussions on ways to address online safety for minors.
