Politics

Should Social Media Be Regulated for Kids? Illinois Lawmakers Seek Restrictions Amid Debate

For the decades we’ve been using social media, there’s been a debate over how youth should be able to access it.

On one hand, addictive feeds keep kids scrolling endlessly and can harm mental health. On the other hand, social media can give young people spaces for expression that aren’t available in school or at home.

Calls to regulate social media platforms have spread across the nation, with states implementing a patchwork of different restrictions. Now, there’s a push to address concerns in Illinois.

In February, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) filed HB5511, which would create the Children’s Social Media Act.

The bill would require the primary user of internet-connected devices — like computers, tablets or smartphones — to input their birthdate or age when they set up the device. Then, that device would signal to websites the age bracket of the primary user: younger than 13 years old, 13 to 15 years old, 16 to 17 years old, or older than 18.

Based on that age bracket, the bill would limit how websites can use personal information to serve content, share location data and manage online transactions.

“We believe that by targeting the most harmful features on these social media platforms, we’re striking the right balance between protecting kids’ mental health while also allowing some of the good things,” Gong-Gershowitz said.

Although the bill puts fewer restrictions on youth access than regulations passed in other states — it does not require parental consent to access social media, for example — it has still received pushback on the grounds that it restricts civil liberties.

“We think so much about the First Amendment being about ‘what I can say,’ but it’s also about the information I can get,” said Ed Yohnka, public policy director at ACLU of Illinois. “Whether or not it’s the right solution to have government decide what information is available, and to whom, is the place where we sort of depart.”

Aside from government intervention, Yohnka said broader education around social media’s harms and consumer pressure could be effective means to force social media companies to make changes to their algorithms. 

Jessica Schleider, a professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University, acknowledges the harms that social media can cause youth. But she said it still has potential to be used for good.

“The architecture behind the platform — infinite scroll, these harmful algorithmic feeds — that can really undermine youth mental health,” Schleider said. “At the same time, social media platforms are often the first, and sometimes only, place that young people actually seek out mental health support and connection.”

Because of the unprecedented reach of social media, Schleider argued that these platforms can be powerful tools for meeting people where they are to promote positive mental health interventions and resources. 

Both Schleider and Yohnka highlighted the balance that needs to be struck between minimizing the harmful effects of social media and allowing people to make the most of its benefits. 

HB5511 passed the state House with bipartisan support in April. Now, lawmakers in the state Senate are working to get it across the finish line before the legislative session ends on May 31. 

Looking ahead, Schleider predicts implementation to be its own battle.

“Those regulations have to have teeth, and I think the implementation of regulations on these platforms is going to be the real challenge to figure out,” Schleider said. 

Even if regulations become more strict, social media likely isn’t going away any time soon. 

“I really hope that the potential of these algorithms to connect people with resources that are well-timed for their needs, … that are evidence-based, that are effective, that is the social media universe that I hope exists,” Schleider said. “Not just one that takes advantage of young people’s attention.”

---