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State Children's Privacy Law Tracker / South Carolina

South Carolina Children's Privacy Laws (2026)

4 laws & bills tracked · overall: In force · current as of June 28, 2026

South Carolina has 4 tracked children's privacy laws and bills — each listed below with its status, the ages it covers, litigation posture, and a link to the official primary source. For the interactive view, open South Carolina in the tracker map.

App Store Accountability Act (H.3405)

Pending — A bill was introduced this cycle but is not yet law. · App store · effective upon appro · binds app stores, developers

Ages: minors (under 18), with age categories

Requires: If enacted: app store providers must determine the age category for every SC user who purchases or uses apps and verify age; obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing a minor to download/purchase/use apps; share age-category/consent signals via API; developers must use the API to verify age category and parental consent before app use or in-app purchases, and provide parental time-restriction features (time-usage metrics, daily limits).

Litigation: none

Primary source

South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (H.3431 / Act No. 96, R100)

In force — Effective and enforceable today. · Social media · effective 2026-02-05 · binds operators, platforms

Ages: minors (under 18)

Requires: Covered online services reasonably likely to be accessed by minors must exercise reasonable care in the use of a minor's personal data and in design/operation to prevent harms (compulsive usage, severe psychological harm, discrimination, financial/physical injury); offer easy controls to disable covered design features (infinite scroll, autoplay, gamification), limit time, and disable purchases; default tighter visibility/contact settings for minors. Social media companies may not permit a SC-resident minor to be an account holder without express parental/guardian consent (eff. Mar 1, 2026). Treble damages; personal liability for willful/wanton violations.

Litigation: NetChoice v. Wilson, D.S.C. No. 3:26-cv-00543 — filed 2026-02-09; PI motion 2026-03-09; briefing complete (NetChoice reply 2026-04-20); NO ruling on PI as of 2026-06-27; law not enjoined.

Primary source

South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (H.5209)

Pending — A bill was introduced this cycle but is not yet law. · Social media · effective upon Gover · binds operators, platforms

Ages: minors (under 18)

Requires: If enacted: social media companies must make commercially reasonable efforts to verify the age of account holders; obtain parental consent for minor account holders; for SC minor account holders (operative Mar 1, 2027) prohibit adults from direct-messaging minors absent an existing connection, prohibit targeted advertising based on personal info (except age/location), restrict data collection, and filter harmful content; AG complaint process; private right of action; educational programs.

Litigation: none

Primary source

South Carolina Age-Appropriate Design Code Act · H.3431 (Act No. 96, R100)

In force — Effective and enforceable today. · Design code · effective 2026-02-05 · binds operators, platforms

Ages: Minors under 18 (covered online services reasonably likely to be accessed by minors)

Requires: A covered online service must exercise reasonable care in the use of minors' personal data and in the design of the service to prevent harm to minors (e.g., compulsive use, psychological harm, identity theft, privacy intrusions, discrimination). It imposes data minimization tied to minors' data, prohibits facilitating targeted advertising to minors, bars profiling of minors except in limited circumstances, restricts collection of precise geolocation, and requires parental/user controls (time limits, purchase limits) plus public third-party audit reports submitted to the Attorney General.

Litigation: NetChoice v. Wilson, No. 3:26-cv-00543 (D.S.C.). NetChoice sued Feb. 9, 2026 alleging First/Fourteenth Amendment, Commerce Clause, and COPPA-preemption defects and moved for a preliminary injunction (filed Mar. 9, 2026; briefing completed Apr. 20, 2026). As of 2026-06-28 the court has NOT ruled on the PI motion and no injunction is in effect, so the Act remains enforceable; operational requirements applied from Mar. 1, 2026 and first audit reports are due July 1, 2026.

Primary source

Also on the books (out of scope): H.3424 / Act No. 198 — Child Online Safety Act (S.C. Code 37-1-310) — out-of-scope mandates (like adult-content age-gates) are tracked separately and don't set this state's status.

Federal · COPPAapplies here too

Regardless of state law, COPPA governs personal information collected from children under 13: notice, verifiable parental consent, data minimization, and — under the 2025 amended Rule — limits on retention and third-party sharing.

Source

How South Carolina compares

Not legal advice. I build products for a living; I'm not a lawyer. Compiled from primary sources and reviewed monthly as part of the State Children's Privacy Law Tracker; AI-assisted research, verified against each law's official source — but laws and injunctions change fast, so confirm the latest before relying on it. Related: COPPA's Gray Areas.