Illinois state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview. during a committee hearing | BlueRoomStream
By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square
Legislation that would help parents monitor their children’s social media activity through third-party software is moving through the Illinois General Assembly.
House Bill 5380 would create the Let Parents Choose Protection Act, or Sammy’s Law, to require that social media companies provide children’s social media data to third-party apps, which parents could access. Sammy’s Law is named for 16-year-old Sammy Chapman, who died after buying fentanyl-laced drugs through video messaging app Snapchat.
“It’s about giving parents a choice to securely use third-party safety apps for any social media platform that allows children users,” said the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview.
Rose Bronstein of Chicago, who lost her son to suicide in 2021 after he was cyberbullied online, testified before the House Consumer Protection Committee.
“I want to emphasize to this committee how harmful and dangerous just one student’s singular action can be to another child online,” said Bronstein.
Hope Ledford, a spokesperson from the tech industry coalition Chamber of Progress, said her group opposes the legislation.
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