Michigan House Bill HB5589

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/26/26
• Refer: 2/26/26

Caption

Education: other; any requirement to use social media as a form of engagement; prohibit. Amends 1976 PA 451 (MCL 380.1 - 380.1852) by adding sec. 1136a.

Summary

HB 5589 would amend Michigan’s Revised School Code to require each public school governing body to adopt a policy prohibiting school personnel from requiring students to use a social media platform as part of a school-related activity. The prohibition applies to classroom lessons and extracurricular activities, including clubs and interscholastic athletics. In practical terms, the bill is aimed at preventing teachers, coaches, and other school staff from making student participation contingent on joining, posting to, or otherwise using a social media service. The bill also defines “social media platform” in detail and carves out a wide range of services that are not covered, such as e-mail, cloud storage, videoconferencing, learning management systems, school information systems, broadband internet access, VPNs, messaging services that are not tied to social media, and platforms primarily used for shopping, news, entertainment, business listings, or educational content. These exclusions appear designed to distinguish social media from ordinary school technology tools and communication services.

Impact

HB 5589 would add a new section 1136a to the Revised School Code, creating a statewide requirement for public school policies on student use of social media in school-related settings. It would not ban students from using social media generally, but it would limit school personnel from mandating its use as part of instruction or extracurricular participation. Public school districts and other governing bodies would need to review existing practices and likely update local policies to ensure compliance.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the available context, the measure appears to be framed as a student privacy and access bill, with an emphasis on limiting compelled use of commercial social media platforms in schools. There is no recorded committee testimony or vote history in the provided materials, so no formal legislative support or opposition can be measured from the record here. The overall tone of the proposal is precautionary and regulatory rather than controversial on its face.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the breadth of the definition of “social media platform” and whether schools should be restricted from using popular digital tools for class communication, assignments, or team coordination. Supporters would likely view the bill as protecting students from forced participation in commercial platforms and from privacy or access concerns. Opponents or skeptics might argue that the definition is complex, that it could create compliance uncertainty, or that it could limit useful communication tools in classrooms, clubs, and athletics. No specific stakeholder positions are included in the provided record.