South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has officially entered a legal battle to defend a new Virginia law designed to regulate how minors interact with social media. By joining a 29-state amicus brief, Wilson and a bipartisan group of attorneys general are pushing back against “Big Tech” companies that argue these safety measures violate free speech rights.
The focal point of the defense is Virginia’s SB 854, a law set to take effect on January 1, 2026. This legislation requires platforms to verify user ages and sets a default one-hour daily limit for children under 16, though parents retain the right to adjust these settings.
The Case for Digital Regulation
The coalition’s legal argument asserts that the First Amendment does not grant technology companies immunity from accountability regarding the safety of their products. State leaders argue that the digital landscape has become an unregulated environment where children are frequently exposed to harmful content without adequate safeguards.
Key Mental Health & Safety Statistics Cited:
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Depression: Adolescent depression rates have more than doubled over the past 15 years.
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Social Disorders: There has been a measurable rise in anxiety, eating disorders, and low self-esteem among frequent social media users.
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Online Safety: Congressional testimony indicates that over 25% of girls aged 13 to 15 have encountered unwanted sexual advances on platforms like Instagram.
Protecting Minors in the AI Era
South Carolina officials emphasize that as technology evolves into the era of artificial intelligence, existing laws must be vigorously defended and updated. The amicus brief suggests that the state has a compelling interest in shielding children from addictive algorithms and dangerous online interactions that platforms have allegedly failed to address voluntarily.
The states maintain that these regulations are a common-sense response to a growing public health crisis, ensuring that parental authority is supported by platform-level accountability rather than replaced by government control.
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