HB5561 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 16530 SPS 29926 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5561

Introduced 2/13/2026, by Rep. Thaddeus Jones

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Youth Public Safety and Social Media Accountability Act. Provides that no person shall coordinate or promote an unlawful large youth gathering, including through the use of a social media platform. Provides that a person who violates the provision commits a Class A misdemeanor. Provides that an operator of a social media platform shall take reasonable measures to restrict content that coordinates or promotes an unlawful large youth gathering. Provides that an operator of a social media platform shall maintain at least $5,000,000 in liability insurance filed with the Department of Insurance to cover harms arising from a violation of the provision. Provides that a person injured in connection with an unlawful large youth gathering may bring a civil action against a social media platform.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning business.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Youth Public Safety and Social Media Accountability Act.

Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Minor" means a person under 18 years of age.

"Social media platform" means a public or semi-public Internet-based service or application that has users in this State and on which a substantial function of the service or application is to connect users in order to allow users to interact socially with each other within the service or application. For the purposes of this definition, a service or application that provides email or direct messaging shall not be considered to a "social media platform" on the basis of that function alone.

"Unlawful large youth gathering" means any gathering of 100 or more minors, assembled without a permit or other lawful authority, in a public place, that causes or is reasonably expected to cause violence or property damage.

Section 10. Prohibition on coordinating and promoting unlawful large youth gatherings. No person shall coordinate or promote an unlawful large youth gathering, including through the use of a social media platform. A person who violates this Section commits a Class A misdemeanor.

Section 15. Duties of social media platforms.

(a) An operator of a social media platform shall take reasonable measures to restrict content that coordinates or promotes an unlawful large youth gathering. The operator shall remove such content, as soon as practicable, after becoming aware that the content was posted on the social media platform.

(b) An operator of a social media platform operating shall maintain at least $5,000,000 in liability insurance filed with the Department of Insurance to cover harms arising from a violation of subsection (a). The Department of Insurance may adopt rules to implement and administer this subsection.

Section 20. Civil liability. A person injured in connection with an unlawful large youth gathering may bring a civil action against a social media platform for a violation Section 15. In an action brought under this Section, the court may award damages and reasonable attorney's fees and costs.