House debate intensifies over bill to restrict social media for minors; amendments approved and tabled

A long debate at the South Carolina House centered on House Bill 34-31, a measure that would require social media platforms and certain online services to verify account-holder ages, obtain parental consent for users under 18, limit collection of minors’ personal data, and ban targeted advertising to minors.

Supporters said the bill would give parents tools and create baseline safety requirements for services used by minors. Representative Travis Moore, who explained the bill on the floor, said platforms would have to “verify the age of account holders and require parental consent for minors” and described provisions that ban targeted advertising and limit data collection.

The measure’s supporters repeatedly framed the proposal as analogous to safety standards for physical products. ‘‘Just as lawmakers mandate safety standards for items like car seats, cribs, children’s toys, this bill ensures that online services meet similar safety standards when their products and services impact or affect the health or safety of our minors,’’ Moore told colleagues as he described the bill and the committee amendment.

Opponents pressed two recurring objections: that the bill intrudes on parental authority and that it…