South Carolina – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is making the state’s position against social media companies stronger. He says that if Congress won’t protect kids from internet dangers, states must. His comments came after South Carolina joined a group of 27 states and Washington, D.C. that supports Florida’s controversial rule against addictive elements incorporated into popular platforms.
Wilson was quite clear about why the state had to take action. He said that digital businesses are like tobacco companies in that they build their platforms to keep kids attached to their screens as their mental health gets worse.
“Parents are fighting a battle they cannot win alone,” Wilson said. “States must step in to protect the next generation.”
The multistate legal brief that was submitted last week backs Florida as it tries to reverse a lower court’s ruling that stopped the law from being enforced. Companies can’t use design elements like autoplay, push alerts, and endless scrolling to keep customers under 16 interested anymore. The governments say that these characteristics are not free speech but rather tricks to take advantage of children’s vulnerabilities.
The attorneys general who filed the case said that too much time spent on social media has been linked to higher incidence of depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and even thoughts of suicide among young people. They say that voluntary parental controls and educational programs have not worked because companies are spending billions of dollars to make platforms that are addictive by design.
Wilson and his colleagues say that the constitutional case is clear: Florida’s legislation doesn’t limit free speech; it just stops bad behavior. They think this difference is important because it gives other states, like South Carolina, a foundation for passing similar laws.
The coalition includes states like Texas, Virginia, and Michigan, as well as the District of Columbia. It covers the whole country, from Alabama to Alaska. They stand together to show that they feel it is their moral duty to keep kids safe online.
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The matter now depends on whether courts will agree with that formulation. Wilson thinks that the way forward is less about waiting for Congress to act and more about states stepping in to fill the gap.
You can read the full brief here.
