1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose House Bill 5511, the Children's Social Media Safety Act. This legislation, currently in the Rules Committee after its February 13, 2026 first reading, would mandate age verification systems that fundamentally threaten privacy, security, and access to vital information for all Illinois residents. Age verification requirements have already failed in other jurisdictions, resulting in significant data breaches and creating honeypots of sensitive personal information. When users must submit identification documents or birth dates to access online platforms, that data becomes a target for hackers and bad actors. The bill requires operating system providers to collect and transmit age information by January 1, 2028, creating exactly the kind of centralized data collection system that has proven vulnerable to exploitation. This approach mirrors proposals from Project 2025 and is being championed by tech billionaires with troubling connections. The real-world impact extends far beyond social media platforms. Age verification mandates put educational resources like Wikipedia at risk, along with crucial support networks for LGBTQ youth who often rely on online communities for information and connection that may not be available in their immediate environment. These young people already face disproportionate challenges, and cutting off their access to supportive resources could have devastating consequences. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027, and would make violations subject to the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Rather than protecting children, this creates an authoritarian framework that undermines parental authority. Parents, not the state, should determine what their children access online and how to monitor that access. Illinois should not implement surveillance infrastructure that compromises everyone's privacy under the guise of child safety. I ask you to vote no on HB5511 and instead support education and resources that empower parents to guide their children's online activity without government overreach.