South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson: If Congress won’t protect kids from Big Tech, states will

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that his office has joined a coalition of 27 states plus Washington, D.C., in filing a legal brief supporting Florida’s efforts to defend its groundbreaking law aimed at protecting children from the addictive and harmful effects of social media. 

“Social media companies know their products are addictive and destructive to children’s mental health,” said Attorney General Wilson. “They have engineered these platforms with the same tactics used by tobacco companies, keeping kids glued to screens while depression, anxiety, and self-harm skyrocket. Parents are fighting a battle they cannot win alone. States must step in to protect the next generation.” 

The brief details how excessive social media use has fueled alarming spikes in teen depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and suicidal ideation. It also emphasizes that states have a compelling interest and a moral duty to curb these harms. Florida’s law, like those being advanced in other states, including South Carolina, is a narrowly tailored, commonsense measure that allows parental consent while ensuring corporations can no longer prey on vulnerable children. 

The coalition of attorneys general urges the reversal of the lower court ruling that blocked Florida from enforcing its law, which prohibits social media companies from exploiting children under the age of 16 with features deliberately designed to keep kids hooked, such as autoplay, push notifications, and infinite scroll. 

The coalition argues that Florida’s law is consistent with the First Amendment because it regulates harmful features, not speech. The states further argue that leaving parents to fend for themselves with parental controls and education campaigns has proven ineffective against companies that spend billions engineering addictive platforms. 

Joining Attorney General Wilson in Utah’s lawsuit are the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. 

You can read the full brief here.