COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Kids Code Coalition today applauded the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee’s unanimous advancement of South Carolina Senator Sean M. Bennett’s S.268, the South Carolina Age-Appropriate Design Code, and its identical House companion H.3431 by voice vote. The bills now head to the full Senate for consideration; a previous version of H.3431 passed the House by an overwhelming margin in February.

“We applaud Chairman Davis and the entire Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee for today’s overwhelming vote in favor of the South Carolina Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, and we’re especially grateful to Senator Bennett, Chairman Newton, and Representative Guffey for their leadership,” said South Carolina Kids Code spokesperson Lacey Skoyen. “Now, we encourage the Senate to finish the job and send this bill to Governor McMaster so he can take decisive action to protect our kids.”

“I don’t think it’s arguable anymore that our youth are being harmed by social media, in the design of these social media platforms,” said Senator Bennett during today’s Committee consideration, emphasizing the scope of the problem as well as the legislation’s innovation-friendly solution: “This bill basically just says create a product that’s safe for kids and teens to use, what you can and can’t do, and then build it. If it fits within those parameters, do what you want.” 

“This design bill is the cornerstone of where we need to be when we come to Big Tech,” said Representative Guffey, coauthor of the House version of the bill, during a February subcommittee hearing. “They already have the ability to protect our children online, and yet they refuse to do so.”

A wide range of community advocates testified in support of the bill over the course of three ad hoc subcommittee hearings, including educators, medical experts, youth and parents. Watch video of today’s Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee discussion and vote here; subcommittee hearing recordings are also available of discussion Feb. 12 and Apr. 2.

The Kids Code Coalition is a wide-ranging group of national and state organizations dedicated to improving youth online security and privacy by supporting policies that ensure companies prioritize kids’ and teens’ safety and developmental needs when designing digital platforms and products.

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