Urge the House Judiciary subcommittee to support parental rights over social media!

Social media can be a powerful tool for communication and has made connecting with others easier than ever before. However, this tool brings with it a need for caution and responsibility.

Children and teens have unrestrained access to social media, often without their parents' consent or even knowledge. According to a 2022 Pew survey, 95% of teens ages 13-17 have used some form of social media. Social media can be tremendously harmful to the mental and emotional development and well-being of children and teens when its use is not properly regulated. Not to mention, social media can be a method by which predators get access to children and teens.

Parents have the duty and responsibility to guide the souls of their children and protect them from harm. “Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it” (Prov. 22:5).

Urge your representative to protect parents' rights to regulate their children's use of social media!

SC2025-2026H 3431

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING CHAPTER 80 TO TITLE 39 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A COVERED ONLINE SERVICE SHALL EXERCISE REASONABLE CARE IN THE USE OF MINORS' PERSONAL DATA, TO PROVIDE FOR CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR COVERED ONLINE SERVICES, TO RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF PERSONAL DATA OF A MINOR THAT MAY BE COLLECTED, TO PROVIDE FOR PARENTAL CONTROLS, TO PROVIDE FOR AN ANNUAL REPORT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR ENFORCEMENT. - RATIFIED TITLE

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Act No. 96

legislature • Feb 06, 2026

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Your Message to the legislators

Dear (name and title inserted automatically),

On behalf of the Catholic faithful in South Carolina, I urge you to support H. 3431– the South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act.

A 2022 Pew survey found that 95% of teenagers ages 13-17 have used some form of social media. According to a 2024 Pew Research poll, one-third of U.S. teenagers admit to using one of the five major social media platforms 'almost constantly.' In 2024, the American Psychological Association reported that the average American teenager spends 4.8 hours per day on social media.

Social media has many benefits. However, it also comes with many risks, ranging from cyberbullying and being targeted by predators, to anxiety, self-esteem issues, depression, poor sleep quality, and an inability to focus.

Social media companies are permitted to collect unlimited amounts of data from children and teenagers in order to show content that is most likely to keep them on the platform. Harmful and manipulative systems such as unending social media feed systems create addiction-like behaviors and have been linked to disasterous mental health effects for children and teenagers.

When you create a social media account, you essentially become a public figure. What you like, comment, and post, is seen by the rest of the world and is never really erased. Children and teenagers can create accounts with no parental knowledge or consent, and it is almost impossible for parents to monitor what the child sees. Social media allows the world – as well as people who might want to harm our children – access to them.

Please support this bill to protect parent’s rights to determine if their children have a social media presence. Support H. 3431, the S.C. Social Media Regulation Act!