STATEHOUSE REPORT | ISSUE 24.06 | Feb. 7, 2025
- BIG STORY: Bill would limit minors’ access to social media
- MORE NEWS: Teacher bill advances in S.C. House
- LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: And the bad news?
- BRACK: Wilson’s inflammatory rhetoric embarrasses
- ANOTHER VIEW: Pass a hate crimes law
- MYSTERY PHOTO: Side view
- FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
House bill would limit minors’ access to social media
By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | A bipartisan bill filed Jan. 14 in the S.C. House would impose strict new requirements on social media companies to protect their underage users, including explicit parental consent before a South Carolina minor can sign up for the service.
Among the bills co-sponsors: S.C. Rep. Brandon Guffey (R-York), who lost his 17-year-old son to suicide in 2022 after an online predator, posing as a woman on Instagram, coerced the youth into providing nude photos. The predator then demanded money to keep the photos private.
“I want us as a body to truly stand up,” Guffey told his colleagues from the well of the House on Jan. 30, one day after Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal was extradited from Nigeria to face federal charges in his son’s case. “I think we have the ability to show even our United States Congress that we need to do whatever we can to protect our kids online.”
Another co-sponsor, S.C. Rep. Beth Bernstein (D-Richland), told Statehouse Report that keeping kids safe is the kind of issue that brings lawmakers together across party lines.
“Most of the issues that affect South Carolinians are bipartisan, and protecting children is absolutely one of them,” Bernstein said. “An online predator is not going to distinguish between a Republican and a Democrat.”
What the bill would do
Introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wes Climer (R-Beaufort) on the first day of the 2025 session, the S.C. Social Media Regulation Act (H. 3431) proposes creation of a set of legal guardrails around social media companies’ conduct with minors, including:
- Age verification: Platforms would be required to determine the age of users “with a level of certainty appropriate to the risks that arise from the information management practices of the social media company.” This echoes a bill passed last year that requires age verification for pornographic websites.
- Parental consent: S.C. residents under the age of 18 would not be allowed to possess social media accounts without the express consent of a parent or legal guardian. In addition, parents would have to be given tools allowing them to supervise their children’s use of the service.
- No adult contact: Platforms would have to enact and enforce prohibitions on adults contacting minors through the service.
- Limited advertising and data collection: Social media companies would only be allowed to use age and location information in determining which ads to serve to minors. Moreover, they could only collect and store minors’ data that is essential to the functioning of the product.
- Access restrictions: Platforms would be required to prevent minors from accessing content that advocates for violence, lawless action, self harm or destruction of property. Sexual content would also be prohibited.
- Teaching kids about the risks: The bill directs the S.C. Department of Education to develop model programs for educating students about the dangers of social media.
S.C. Education Association President Sherry East said her organization supports the legislation, but wants to make sure that social media platforms, rather than parents, are held accountable for making it work.
“We need parameters to protect our young people, but the devil’s in the details,” East said. “The responsibility has to be on the social media companies. If they can track my every movement and serve me an ad when I’m within a hundred feet of a store, they can figure it out.”
Research raises further concerns
In addition to concerns about predation — the Snap platform alone reportedly receives 10,000 sextortion complaints each month according to one state — advocates point to an emerging body of scientific research connecting teen mental health problems to regular social media use.
Experts say that these studies, while mixed, suggest strong linkages between heavy social media consumption and higher rates of depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation among younger users.
In response to that research, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a 2023 health advisory calling on social media companies, government and parents to take immediate steps to protect underage users.
Among the advisory’s recommendations were several items contained in the proposed legislation, including enforcing age minimums, limiting data collection and creating social media literacy courses in schools.
“At a moment when we are experiencing a national youth mental health crisis, now is the time to act swiftly and decisively to protect children and adolescents from risk of harm,” Murthy said.
But opponents of further regulation, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Jason Kelley, note that many studies, including the EFF’s own 2024 survey, tell a different story about social media use by minors.
“In those [negative] stories, it is accepted as fact that the majority of young people’s experiences on social media platforms are harmful,” Kelley wrote. “But from these responses, it is clear that many, many young people also experience help, education, friendship, and a sense of belonging there — precisely because social media allows them to explore.”
Where things stand now
At a Jan. 29 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the bill, S.C. Rep. Travis Moore (R-Spartanburg) stressed the importance of working slowly and getting the details right — particularly after a similar bill passed the House last year, but failed to get a vote in the Senate.
“This subcommittee understands this is a very important . . . and sensitive topic to many different stakeholders,” said Moore, who chairs the subcommittee. “Our goal here — and our duty as legislators, honestly — is to thoroughly evaluate any piece of legislation, including this bill, to make sure we’re honoring the trust that our citizens have put into us to make very thoughtful and informed decisions and not just acting rashly.”
But at the same hearing, Palmetto State Teachers Association spokesman Patrick Kelly stressed the need for action.
“As both a parent and as an educator, I believe this generation of state leadership has a compelling government interest to combat the addictive and negative effects of unfiltered internet access for children in the same way that prior generations of leadership had to address the destructive impact of alcohol and tobacco,” Kelly told the committee.
The committee plans to take further testimony before voting to move the bill forward later in the session.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Teacher bill advances in House but Senate future is uncertain
By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | A bill that Palmetto State teachers groups call their top priority for the 2025 legislative session is on its way to the S.C. House floor after winning unanimous support at a Feb. 5 meeting of the body’s Education and Public Works Committee.
The Educator Assistance Act, which addresses longtime teacher concerns about contracts, recertification requirements and district administrative procedures, passed the House last session but died without a vote in the Senate.
“This is an important bill for us,” The S.C. Education Association President Sherry East told Statehouse Report on Feb. 5. “It’s got a lot of good things in it for teachers.”
Among the provisions supporters say are particularly critical:
- 14-day notice for job assignments: Teachers currently sign contracts with no knowledge of where or what subject they will be teaching. Under the bill, districts must give them this information at least two weeks before the school year begins. Changes to these assignments would require school board approval.
- Easing continuing education requirements: Under current law, teachers are forced to pay out-of-pocket for continuing education courses to meet their recertification requirements. The bill would allow them to use district-provided professional development work to meet that prerequisite.
- Salaries in contracts: Teachers currently sign contracts without a guaranteed minimum salary. The bill would require districts to provide at least an estimate, subject to change based on legislative adjustments to statewide pay scales.
Committee member and S.C. Rep. Hamilton Grant (D-Richland) called the collaborative process that produced the bill “refreshing.”
“This bill empowers teachers and gives them stability in the classroom and in their professional development,” he added.
But GOP Committee Chair Shannon Erickson of Beaufort County warned that the real work still lay ahead in the S.C. Senate.
“We passed this four times last year and they let it sit,” Erickson said. “Teachers, don’t let them do that again. They listen to you . . . and if you need somebody’s cell phone number, I’ll give it to you.”
Next week in the Statehouse
The S.C. House and Senate are expected to reconvene at noon Feb. 11 with several bills awaiting floor action. On the calendar in the House is a reworking of last year’s failed House energy bill. In the Senate, lawmakers may consider a Senate amendment to the state constitution making the comptroller’s office an appointed, rather than elected, position.
Committees will meet throughout the week. Highlights include a presentation by the state Department of Children’s Advocacy, oversight hearings for the S.C. Law Enforcement Division and the Office of the Attorney General, and an update from the S.C. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- A complete listing of streamable committee meetings is available on the Statehouse website at scstatehouse.gov/video/schedule.php.
In other recent news
S.C. House GOP leaders roll out anti-DEI, DOGE bills. S.C. House GOP leaders rolled out bills that aim to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and cut state government waste at a Feb. 6 press conference.
S.C. lawmakers push for hands-free driving bill. Stopping at a red light to take out your phone, scrolling to check messages while driving, and making a phone call behind the wheel could all soon be illegal in South Carolina.
S.C. Senate takes up liquor liability reform. Two competing bills that aim to lower liquor liability insurance rates for bars and restaurants are under consideration in the S.C. Senate. High rates are believed to have forced the closure of several establishments across the state.
Bipartisan bill seeks to tackle child care for S.C. families. A new, bipartisan bill filed in the state Senate aims to both incentivize South Carolina employers to help their workers out with childcare availability and costs and to encourage more people to open childcare centers and work in them.
How the Senate wants to fund private school scholarships with lottery money. The S.C. Senate passed its version of a K-12 private school voucher program Feb. 4 as supporters look to revive ways to subsidize private school tuition with public funds that were killed by a state Supreme Court decision last fall.
Legislation sought to expand state’s protections for intimate partner violence victims. Advocates for victims and survivors of domestic violence are urging South Carolina lawmakers to expand protections to cover more abuse victims.
McMaster signals support for direct car sales legislation. Scout Motors is pushing the pedal on a bill that would allow car companies to sell cars without a third-party auto dealership, which is currently prohibited under state law. The EV carmaker now has the support of the state’s top politician.
SLED rescued more than 200 dogs last year from illegal fighting rings. The State Law Enforcement Division rescued 205 victims of dogfighting last year. A new law made it easier than ever for these dogs to be adopted after rehabilitation.
3rd inmate since September put to death in S.C. On Jan. 31, Marion Bowman Jr. became the third death row inmate to be executed by the state of South Carolina since September, when the state resumed executions.
S.C. tribes sign historic agreement at Statehouse. Representatives of South Carolina’s 10 state-recognized Native American tribes joined Gov. Henry McMaster on Feb. 4 to sign a pact pledging cooperation on goals such as cultural preservation, historical and physical conservation, economic development and sovereignty.
And the bad news?
Award-winning cartoonist Robert Ariail has a special knack for poking a little fun in just the right way. This week, he takes on the budding possible gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston.
- Love it or hate it? Did he go too far, or not far enough? Send your thoughts to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Wilson’s inflammatory rhetoric is embarrassment
Commentary by Andy Brack | Looks like S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson got riled up this week for the purpose of getting riled up when he posted a strident message on social media about possible “lawlessness” and interference with law enforcement over immigration.
What he got incensed about was a scheduled Feb. 8 meeting by the Columbia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, a small group of leftists who have been planning a public awareness session about immigration, people’s rights, how to respond if you’re stopped by immigration agents and how to “organize effective mass resistance.”
To the uninformed, this might sound like something scary. But when you realize the Columbia DSA only has 84 followers on Facebook and hasn’t posted on it since July 11, you might get a better picture. It’s a really small group that few know about or pay attention to – except maybe a politician looking for some way to get on TV.
The word “Democratic” in a flyer about the meeting apparently set off Wilson. Not only did it present the opportunity to spew MAGA rhetoric about immigration, but it seemed like a good way to tar the Democratic Party, because most people wouldn’t know it is far different from the DSA.
“Democratic Socialists,” Wilson wrote on social media, “are actively trying to thwart law enforcement and organize a ‘mass resistance’ to ICE raids—obstructing justice and endangering our communities. Let me be clear: those halting investigations and interfering with law enforcement will be held to the full extent of the law. We will not tolerate lawlessness in South Carolina.”
Oooh, Wilson, who wants to be governor so bad that it has his teeth hurting, thinks he roped a bogeyman, even though it’s pretty toothless. But in our media-saturated world that polarizes information, standing up as a seeming strongman is a way to get headlines (and columns). And it’s of particular importance for somebody like Wilson in the week after U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Charleston Republican who has been touring the state spewing her particular form of venom to float a possible bid for governor, got lots of press from dressing up in a flak jacket and going on an ICE raid in Goose Creek (totally inappropriate for her).
We tried to get a comment from Wilson’s team to figure out whether his remarks about the Feb. 8 meeting were in his capacity as the state’s top law enforcement officer or were merely political, but nothing came back.
But those pesky Democratic Socialists used a tool they have – a written statement – to criticize Wilson about his blast of their “community-based informational session on educating everyone” about how to deal with an ICE stop. And their rhetoric is about what you’d expect – the flip side of Wilson’s bombast:
“Unfortunately, the state’s Attorney General has decided to side with this administration’s imperial and fascist agenda. He has attempted to publicly intimidate us on Twitter, twice. Before issuing an official statement, he posted a copy of our flyer and a fear-mongering commentary, painting us as violent endangerments to communities. Our event is simply an educational and community-building session in a public library.”
So what does all of this hot air point to? The need for liberals and conservatives to chill out a little and tone it down a lot. Infusing fear and over-the-top rhetoric continually in the public sphere breaks down trust in a functioning democracy, too often denigrating it and lowering its worth.
If we really want to make America great, perhaps politicians should be more civil – and not just play a game of inflammatory one-upmanship to try to get on TV to boost a political profile.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Wake up General Assembly! Pass a hate crimes law
Editor’s Note: This editorial was published in the Feb. 7 issue of the Charleston City Paper.
If you ever need convincing that South Carolina desperately is in want of a hate crimes law, all you have to do is watch a despicable video taken on Sullivan’s Island last week.
Simply put, it showed hate, vitriol and malice spewing from the mouth of a White man jeering at a pair of Latino workers in a vehicle. The 33-year-old man was obviously trying to scare the driver and passenger that they were about to be deported — and their fear was palpable, even over a video.
“You got caught, bo,” the man poked in a one-sided exchange that went viral. “Where you from, Mexico? You from Mexico? You’re going back to Mexico.” Then the man switched to a bad Hispanic accent, further pressing, “You can’t drive. You got no license.” And then, the man reached in and took the vehicle’s keys out of the ignition.
It’s easy to imagine this incident happening 75 years ago during Jim Crow and the civil rights era in Alabama, Mississippi and, yes, South Carolina. But today? Not acceptable.
Fortunately, somebody called this bully on his bullshit after he upped the ante and called Sullivan’s Island police, complaining that someone was operating a vehicle on Ion Avenue without a license.
It didn’t take long for police to get a fuller picture through what they called a “disturbing” video. “This video displayed possible criminal actions by the caller that were not initially reported to police while on-scene.”
Police arrested Sean Michael-Emmrich Johnson, 33, of Huger, on Jan. 31 on a felony count of kidnapping and three misdemeanors – impersonating a law enforcement officer, larceny/fraudulent removal or secreting of personal property, and assault and battery in the third degree. On Feb. 3, police added two more kidnapping charges. Johnson posted a total bond of more than $231,000 and is out of the county jail pending court.
Almost 10 years ago, another hater, Dylann Roof, shot and killed nine worshippers at Emanuel AME Church. And still, South Carolina still does not have a hate crimes law. It’s only one of two states without such legislation.
In the case of Johnson, it’s clear authorities used kidnapping charges to send a serious message about what happened that afternoon on Sullivan’s Island, particularly after removal of vehicle keys made it impossible for the victims to leave.
South Carolina lawmakers need to move with all haste to pass a hate crimes law so police have more tools to deal with hate. In our nation’s highly charged political climate today, racism, hate, retribution and vengeance make headlines on a daily basis. Law enforcement authorities need to be able to root out societal evil by having the tools they need to do their job.
South Carolina legislators: Stop sitting on your hands. Pass a law against hate crimes now, just like 48 states already have done.
Side view
Here’s a side view of an old house somewhere in South Carolina. Tell us what you can to identify the house and what its importance may be. Send your name, hometown and guess to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Our most recent mystery, “What is this structure?” is an early mule-powered cotton press about five miles west of Latta. It reportedly was built in 1798 and is the oldest structure of its kind.
About 20 people correctly guessed the structure, perhaps because we used it as a mystery photo in 2021 (and forgot!). Congrats to Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Wayne Beam of Clemson; Gwen Strickland of Marion; Truett Jones of Summerton; Bill Segar and Michael Webb, both of Hartsville; Lexie Chatham of West Columbia; Elizabeth Jones, Nancy Barksdale and Jay Altman, all of Columbia; Willard Strong of Surfside Beach; Rafe Dixon of Sumter; Pat Keadle of Perry; Will Bradley of Las Vegas, Nevada; David Taylor of Darlington; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Jacie Godfrey of Florence; and Daniel Prohaska of Summerville. Thanks, all!
- Send us a mystery picture. If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Send us your thoughts
We got a few nasty letters about last week’s column musing whether President Donald Trump was America’s first punk president, but none could be published because they were anonymous or just plain filthy. If you want to share your views with other readers, clean it up, folks. (We’re fine with you taking shots at Statehouse Report; we’ve got pretty thick skin. But you have to sign your letters and provide a phone number for identity verification.)
We encourage you to send in your thoughts about policy and politics impacting South Carolina. We print non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your thoughts.
- Have a comment? Send your letters or comments to: feedback@statehousereport.com. Make sure to provide your contact details (name, hometown and phone number for verification. Letters are limited to 150 words.
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Statehouse Report, founded in 2001 as a weekly legislative forecast that informs readers about what is going to happen in South Carolina politics and policy, is provided by email to you at no charge every Friday.
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Statehouse bureau chief: Jack O’Toole
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