South Carolina · AI compliance plan
What South Carolina’s AI laws require of you.
South Carolina has 4 enacted AI laws in our records. We have mapped 4 of them duty by duty: 16 duties in all, each with who it falls on, when it starts and the section of law it comes from.
The plan at a glance
16duties from 4 laws
0start in the next 90 days
0laws let people sue over a violation
0laws give a set number of days to fix a violation before enforcement
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Already in effect 15 duties
These duties are in force today.
| Starts | Law | Who | What it requires | How often | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2025 | South Carolina unauthorized disclosure of intimate images, including digitally forged images (Act 37 of 2025) | Person | Do not intentionally disseminate an intimate image or digitally forged intimate image of another person without that person's effective consent.Applies when: The person knew or reasonably should have known the depicted person had a reasonable expectation of privacy when the image was obtained or created. Consent to creation is not consent to dissemination. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 16-15-332(A) |
| May 22, 2025 | South Carolina morphed images of identifiable minors (S. 29) | Individual | Do not create, produce, distribute, exhibit, sell, buy, exchange, solicit or possess morphed sexual images of an identifiable minor, including computer-generated ones.Applies when: When the person knows the character or content of the material. | Ongoing | S.C. Code §§ 16-15-395(A)(4), 16-15-405(A), 16-15-410(A) |
| May 22, 2025 | South Carolina obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, including computer-generated images (Act 57 of 2025) | Person | Do not knowingly produce, distribute, solicit or possess with intent to distribute an obscene depiction of a minor in sexual conduct or nudity, including computer-generated images.Applies when: The depiction is obscene; the minor need not actually exist; attempts and conspiracies are included. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 16-15-390(B), (E) |
| May 22, 2025 | South Carolina obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, including computer-generated images (Act 57 of 2025) | Person | Do not knowingly possess an obscene depiction of a minor in sexually explicit conduct, activity or nudity, including computer-generated images.Applies when: The depiction is obscene; the minor need not actually exist; attempts and conspiracies are included. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 16-15-390(C), (E) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Use reasonable care with minors' data and in service design to prevent compulsive usage, severe psychological harm or distress, privacy intrusions, identity theft, discrimination, and financial or physical injury.Applies when: Always, for a covered online service. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-20(A) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Give users easy tools to disable non-essential design features, limit time and purchases, block contact from unconnected accounts, limit visibility, hide engagement counts and connections, and control location sharing.Applies when: Always; several tools refer to a minor's account or connections. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-30(A) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Let users opt out of personalized recommendation systems, except optimizations based on expressed preferences; make the opt-out the default for known minors.Applies when: The service uses a personalized recommendation system. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-30(B) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Set the Section 39-80-30(A) safeguards as default settings for any individual known to be a minor, and maintain them.Applies when: The service knows an individual is a minor. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-30(C) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Collect, use, share and keep minors' personal data only as necessary for features the minor knowingly uses; delete age-verification data after use; no default precise geolocation unless necessary.Applies when: The service processes a minor's personal data. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-40(A), (B), (D) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Do not facilitate targeted advertising to minors, and do not profile a known minor unless necessary for the service the minor knowingly requested.Applies when: Advertising to, or automated profiling of, minors. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-40(C), (F) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Provide tools to silence notifications; for known minors, cover 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, August through May.Applies when: The service sends notifications. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-40(E) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Provide parental tools, on by default for known minors, to manage settings, restrict purchases, view time used, and set time limits; tell the minor when tools are active.Applies when: The service knows a user is a minor. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-50 |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Set up ways for parents, minors and schools to report harms to minors, with attention to imminent threats; do not advertise narcotics, tobacco, gambling or alcohol to known minors.Applies when: Always. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-60(A), (B) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Do not use dark patterns; their use is an unlawful trade practice under the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act.Applies when: Always. | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-60(C) |
| February 5, 2026 | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | Explain in terms and conditions how personalized recommendation systems serve minors and how to opt out or control them; prominently describe safety measures, privacy protections and parental tools.Applies when: The service uses personalized recommendation systems (first part); always (second part). | Ongoing | S.C. Code 39-80-60(D), (E) |
Triggered by an event 1 duty
These apply when something happens, such as a request, an incident or a decision about a person. Each row says what triggers it.
| Starts | Law | Who | What it requires | How often | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| When triggered | South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026) | Covered online service | By July 1 each year, issue a public report prepared by an independent auditor and sent to the Attorney General, including algorithms used; cooperate fully with the auditor.Applies when: Each year; the text does not state the first reporting year. | Every year | S.C. Code 39-80-70(A), (C) |
Law by law
Who each law covers, who enforces it, the penalties, whether people can sue and what the text leaves open. Open a law to see it; every line cites its section.
South Carolina Social Media Regulation Act (Age-Appropriate Code Design, Act 96 of 2026)
12 duties · checked November 15, 2026
H. 3431, Act No. 96 of 2026 (R100); S.C. Code Title 39, Chapter 80 (39-80-10 to 39-80-80). Official text · Full law page
Who it covers
- Covered online service. An entity that owns, operates, controls or provides an online service, does business in South Carolina, is reasonably likely to be accessed by minors, and decides the purposes and means of processing consumers' personal data, with affiliates. Threshold: Meets one of: annual gross revenue over $25 million (CPI-adjusted every odd-numbered year); annually buys, receives, sells or shares personal data of 50,000 or more consumers, households or devices; or at least 50% of annual revenue from selling or sharing personal data. S.C. Code 39-80-10(4)
- Officer or employee of a covered online service. Officers and employees may be personally liable for wilful and wanton violations. S.C. Code 39-80-80(C)
Enforcement
- Enforcer: South Carolina Attorney General. NetChoice sued the Attorney General on February 9, 2026 (NetChoice v. Wilson, No. 3:26-cv-00543, D.S.C.) and moved for a preliminary injunction; no ruling blocking the law was found in this run, and the court docket could not be opened.
- Penalty: Treble the financial damages caused by the violation, any violation of the chapter by a covered online service. S.C. Code 39-80-80(B)
- Penalty: Personal liability (amount not stated), wilful and wanton violations by officers or employees. S.C. Code 39-80-80(C)
- Penalty: Penalties and damages of the Unfair Trade Practices Act (amounts not stated in this act), use of dark patterns. S.C. Code 39-80-60(C)
- Can people sue? The law does not say S.C. Code 39-80-80 (names the Attorney General as enforcer and sets treble damages without saying who may recover them)
- Time to fix before enforcement: The law does not say
Exemptions
- Federal, state, tribal or local government entities acting in the ordinary course of their operations. S.C. Code 39-80-20(D)(1)
- Personal data controlled by a service that must comply with, and complies with the security requirements of, GLBA Title V, the HITECH Act or HIPAA privacy regulations; and clinical-trial data subject to FDA human-subject rules. S.C. Code 39-80-20(D)(2), (3)
- Harm is limited to harms for which liability is permitted under 47 U.S.C. 230; no duty to stop users deliberately searching for harm-prevention or mitigation resources. S.C. Code 39-80-20(B), (C)
- Online service excludes telecommunications service, broadband internet access and physical products. S.C. Code 39-80-10(9)
What the text leaves open
- NetChoice v. Wilson, No. 3:26-cv-00543 (D.S.C.): a preliminary injunction motion was filed March 9, 2026 and briefed by April 20, 2026; whether the court has since ruled could not be confirmed because the docket did not open. No court_block was added.
- 39-80-80(B) makes services liable for treble financial damages but does not say whether injured users, the Attorney General or both may recover them.
- Penalty amounts under the Unfair Trade Practices Act (S.C. Code 39-5) were not read.
- The first year the July 1 annual audit report is due is not stated.
- 39-80-10(17)(a)(i) cross-references subsection (7) for the meaning of minor, which defines known to be a minor; minor itself is defined in (8).
- 39-80-30(A) offers tools to a user or visitor; visitor is not defined.
South Carolina morphed images of identifiable minors (S. 29)
1 duty · checked November 15, 2026
Act No. 58 of 2025 (R83, S. 29); amends S.C. Code §§ 16-15-375, 16-15-395, 16-15-405, 16-15-410, 23-3-430 and 23-3-462 and adds § 16-15-412. Official text · Full law page
Who it covers
- Individual. Any individual who creates, distributes, receives, sells, solicits or possesses morphed sexual images of an identifiable minor, knowing their character or content. S.C. Code §§ 16-15-395(A)(4), 16-15-405(A), 16-15-410(A)
Enforcement
- Enforcer: Criminal prosecution. An arrest warrant for an offense involving a morphed image may issue only on a state grand jury true bill, or on probable cause after an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation with the Attorney General's Office.
- Penalty: Felony: 3 to 20 years in prison, no suspension of the minimum, served consecutively, first degree: creating a digital file of the material for sale or pecuniary gain. S.C. Code § 16-15-395(A)(4), (D)
- Penalty: Felony: 2 to 10 years in prison, no suspension of the minimum, second degree: creating, distributing, receiving, selling, purchasing, exchanging or soliciting the material. S.C. Code § 16-15-405(A), (D)
- Penalty: Felony: up to 10 years in prison, third degree: possessing the material. S.C. Code § 16-15-410(A), (C)
- Can people sue? The law does not say Act No. 58
- Time to fix before enforcement: None
Exemptions
- Law enforcement, prosecuting agency and Department of Corrections employees possessing material in their official capacity during an investigation or criminal proceeding. S.C. Code § 16-15-410(D)
- A minor charged for the first time over a morphed image is heard in family court as a misdemeanor; the court may order behavioral health counseling. S.C. Code §§ 16-15-395(E), 16-15-405(E), 16-15-410(E)
What the text leaves open
- Sex offender registry tiers added by Sections 6 and 7 are not mapped here.
- No lawsuit against the act was searched for in court dockets.
South Carolina obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, including computer-generated images (Act 57 of 2025)
2 duties · checked November 15, 2026
S. 28, Act No. 57 of 2025 (R82); S.C. Code 16-15-390; amends 23-3-430 and 23-3-462. Official text · Full law page
Who it covers
- Person. Anyone who knowingly produces, distributes, solicits or possesses an obscene visual depiction of a minor in sexually explicit conduct, activity or nudity, including a computer-generated one. S.C. Code 16-15-390(B), (C)
Enforcement
- Enforcer: Criminal prosecution; an arrest warrant may issue only on a state grand jury true bill or a probable-cause finding after an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation with the Attorney General's Office. A web search on November 15, 2026 found no lawsuit or court order blocking this law.
- Penalty: Felony: up to 10 years in prison (no fine stated), producing, distributing, soliciting or possessing with intent to distribute. S.C. Code 16-15-390(B)
- Penalty: Felony: up to 10 years in prison (no fine stated), possession. S.C. Code 16-15-390(C)
- Penalty: Misdemeanor in family court; behavioral health counseling may be ordered, offense by a minor with no prior qualifying adjudication. S.C. Code 16-15-390(D)
- Penalty: Tier I sex offender registration, conviction of the offense (adults). S.C. Code 23-3-430(C)(1)(k)
- Can people sue? The law does not say S.C. Code 16-15-390 (criminal section; no civil remedy)
- Time to fix before enforcement: The law does not say
Exemptions
- Employees of law enforcement and prosecuting agencies acting in an official capacity in an investigation or criminal proceeding, including providing discovery. S.C. Code 16-15-390(F)(1)
- Providers of telecommunications or information services (47 U.S.C. 153) for content provided by another person. S.C. Code 16-15-390(F)(2)
- A minor with no prior qualifying adjudication is charged with a misdemeanor in family court and, if adjudicated there, is not required to register. S.C. Code 16-15-390(D); 23-3-430(C)(1)(k)
What the text leaves open
- The obscenity test in S.C. Code 16-15-305 was not read.
- The act does not use the words artificial intelligence; it reaches AI-made images through the term computer-generated image or picture.
- Section 3 restates registration-termination rules in 23-3-462; its changes for this offense were not confirmed.
South Carolina unauthorized disclosure of intimate images, including digitally forged images (Act 37 of 2025)
1 duty · checked November 15, 2026
H. 3058, Act No. 37 of 2025 (R56); S.C. Code 16-15-330 and 16-15-332. Official text · Full law page
Who it covers
- Person. Anyone who intentionally disseminates an intimate image or digitally forged intimate image of another person. S.C. Code 16-15-332(A)
Enforcement
- Enforcer: Criminal prosecution (the act does not name a prosecutor). A web search on November 15, 2026 found no lawsuit or court order blocking this law.
- Penalty: Felony: up to $5,000 fine, up to 5 years, or both, first offense done with intent to cause physical, mental, economic or reputational harm, or for profit. S.C. Code 16-15-332(B)(1)
- Penalty: Felony: up to $10,000 fine, 1 to 10 years, or both; minimum not suspendable, no probation, second or later offense under subsection (B). S.C. Code 16-15-332(B)(2)
- Penalty: Misdemeanor: up to $5,000 fine, up to 1 year, or both, first offense without that intent. S.C. Code 16-15-332(C)(1)
- Penalty: Felony: up to $5,000 fine, up to 5 years, or both, second or later offense under subsection (C). S.C. Code 16-15-332(C)(2)
- Can people sue? The law does not say S.C. Code 16-15-332 (criminal section; no civil remedy in the act)
- Time to fix before enforcement: The law does not say
Exemptions
- Images created by law enforcement during an otherwise lawful criminal investigation. S.C. Code 16-15-332(F)
What the text leaves open
- The intimate-image definition borrows sexual activity and sexually explicit nudity from S.C. Code 16-15-375, which was not read.
- The act has no exception for online platforms or service providers; whether federal law (47 U.S.C. 230) limits its reach to them is not addressed in the text.
- Whether the expectation-of-privacy element applies to digitally forged images is not separately addressed; the text names both image types in one sentence.
Information, not legal advice. This plan summarizes what the official texts of the laws listed say. It does not decide whether a law applies to your organization; that turns on facts such as your size, your role as a developer or deployer, and how you use AI. Laws change, and courts and regulators can read them differently. Check the official text linked with each duty and talk to a qualified lawyer before acting. Using this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. See our terms of service.
How the plan is built
Each law in the plan was read from its official text, on the legislature’s or state’s own website. 265 of the 326 have also been read a second time to confirm every date, threshold, penalty and enforcer; the rest have had one full read, and each shows the date it was last checked. Each duty is written in plain English in 30 words or fewer and carries the section it comes from, with a link.
Where a law is silent, the plan says so. It does not borrow a penalty from another statute or guess at a deadline. A law that is repealed or replaced on a known date shows that end date, and its duties leave the plan once the date passes. The date each law was last checked appears with it.
The plan is built fresh from these records every time the page loads, so it changes as soon as a law is added or re-checked. To report an error, use the corrections page. For how we find laws and decide what counts as an AI law, see our methodology. If you are not sure which laws touch your business at all, start with Am I Affected?
Common questions
What does an AI compliance plan cover?
Each duty an enacted state AI law places on a business or other regulated party: who it applies to, what it requires, when it starts, how often it recurs, who enforces it, the penalties and whether people can sue. The builder covers 1,235 duties in 326 enacted laws across 50 states, and every duty links to the section of law it comes from.
Where does the information come from?
From the official text of each law: the enrolled bill, session law or codified statute, opened on the legislature's or state's own website. 265 of the 326 laws have also been read a second time to confirm every date, threshold, penalty and enforcer, and the date each law was last checked is shown with it. Where a law is silent on a point, such as a penalty amount, the plan says the law does not say rather than filling the gap. Law firm summaries and news reports are never used as sources.
Does the plan include every AI law in a state?
Not yet. It includes the enacted laws we have mapped duty by duty. When you choose a state, its other enacted AI laws are listed separately with links, so nothing is left out of view. New laws are added as they are read. When a law is repealed or replaced on a set date, its duties show that end date and leave the plan once it passes.
How do I know which duties apply to my company?
Start with the 'who it covers' entry for each law: many apply only above a size or revenue threshold, only to developers or only to deployers, or only in one industry. The plan quotes those conditions from the text. Whether your company meets them depends on facts only you and your counsel know.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is information drawn from official legal texts, organized so you can see what each law requires. Use it to brief your team and your lawyers, not in place of them.
What does Pro add?
The same plan as a CSV file for spreadsheets and audit files, and as a calendar file (.ics) with every dated duty as an event that links back to the law. Both are built from the states and uses you pick. The plan on this page, and printing it, are open to everyone.