# South Carolina H 4591: AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "STOP HARM FROM ADDICTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA (SHASM) ACT" BY ADDING ARTICLE 9 TO CHAPTER 5, TITLE 39 SO AS TO REQUIRE COVERED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO USE REASONABLE MEANS TO ESTIMATE THE AGE OF CERTAIN ACCOUNT HOLDERS, TO VERIFY THE AGE OF CERTAIN ACCOUNT HOLDERS, TO CREATE DEFAULT ACCOUNT SETTINGS FOR CERTAIN USERS, AND TO CREATE CERTAIN PARENTAL CONSENTS.

South Carolina H 4591, AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "STOP HARM FROM ADDICTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA (SHASM) ACT" BY ADDING ARTICLE 9 TO CHAPTER 5, TITLE 39 SO AS TO REQUIRE COVERED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO USE REASONABLE MEANS TO ESTIMATE THE AGE OF CERTAIN ACCOUNT HOLDERS, TO VERIFY THE AGE OF CERTAIN ACCOUNT HOLDERS, TO CREATE DEFAULT ACCOUNT SETTINGS FOR CERTAIN USERS, AND TO CREATE CERTAIN PARENTAL CONSENTS., is a 126th General Assembly (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Brandon Guffey (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-06-05 (Effective date 01/01/27) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-H4591-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: South Carolina H 4591
- State: South Carolina
- Session: 126th General Assembly (2025-2026)
- Title: AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "STOP HARM FROM ADDICTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA (SHASM) ACT" BY ADDING ARTICLE 9 TO CHAPTER 5, TITLE 39 SO AS TO REQUIRE COVERED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO USE REASONABLE MEANS TO ESTIMATE THE AGE OF CERTAIN ACCOUNT HOLDERS, TO VERIFY THE AGE OF CERTAIN ACCOUNT HOLDERS, TO CREATE DEFAULT ACCOUNT SETTINGS FOR CERTAIN USERS, AND TO CREATE CERTAIN PARENTAL CONSENTS.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-12-16
- Last action: 2026-06-05, Effective date 01/01/27
- Sponsor: Brandon Guffey (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (385 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

Stop Harm from Addictive Social Media

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Your right to sue and void terms: benefit, high. Beginning January 1, 2027, a child or parent can sue a covered platform for negligent, reckless, or knowing violations. Courts can order fixes and award damages, including for mental‑health and emotional distress, plus court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. For reckless or knowing violations,…
- Age checks, parental consent, shutdowns: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2027, platforms must estimate age within 14 days after a user spends 25 hours in six months. They can treat the user as not a child only with at least 80% confidence that the user is over 15. After 50 hours in six months, the threshold rises to 90%. Platforms must update the es…
- Stronger privacy and fewer addictive features: benefit, medium. Starting January 1, 2027, child accounts must default to the most private settings. Any change needs verifiable parental consent. When asking for consent, platforms must offer a parent dashboard. It shows time used and lets parents set daily and weekly limits and allowed times of day. Platforms can…
- Which platforms and kids are covered: benefit, medium. Starting January 1, 2027, the rules apply to social media companies with at least $1 billion in yearly ad revenue in any of the past three years. A "child" means a South Carolina resident under age 16. If a platform meets the threshold, all child‑safety rules in this law apply to it.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Brandon Guffey (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Gary S. Brewer, Jr. (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Paula Rawl Calhoon (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Donald G. "Don" Chapman (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Greg Ford (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Daniel Gibson (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Jerry N. Govan, Jr. (Democrat), House
- Cosponsor: Lee Hewitt (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: William C. "Chris" Huff (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: John T. Lastinger, Jr. (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: M. Brian Lawson (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Thomas R. "Randy" Ligon (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: David Martin (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Melissa Lackey Oremus (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Fawn M. Pedalino (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Thomas E. "Tommy" Pope (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Robby Robbins (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Carla M. Schuessler (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Heath Sessions (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Travis A. Moore (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Jackie R. Terribile (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Wm. Weston J. Newton (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Paul B. Wickensimer (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-05-14 | Senate | (Stop Harm from Addictive Social Media)3rd Reading | pass | 42 | 1 |   |
| 2026-05-14 | House | (Stop Harm from Addictive Social Media)Concur in Senate Amendments | pass | 115 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-31 | House | (Stop Harm from Addictive Social Media)Passage of Bill | pass | 114 |   |   |
| 2026-03-31 | House | (Stop Harm from Addictive Social Media)Passage of Bill | pass | 114 | 0 |   |

## Actions (31)

- 2026-06-05: Effective date 01/01/27 (legislature)
- 2026-06-03: Act No. 237 (legislature)
- 2026-05-19: Signed By Governor (Governor)
- 2026-05-15: Ratified R 251 (legislature)
- 2026-05-14: Roll call Yeas-115 Nays-0 (House)
- 2026-05-14: Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled (House)
- 2026-05-14: Roll call Ayes-42 Nays-1 (Senate)
- 2026-05-14: Read third time and returned to House with amendments (Senate)
- 2026-05-14: Amended (Senate)
- 2026-05-14: Scrivener's error corrected (legislature)
- 2026-05-13: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-05-13: Amended (Senate)
- 2026-05-12: Recalled from Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Introduced and read first time (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Read third time and sent to Senate (House)
- 2026-03-31: Roll call Yeas-114 Nays-0 (House)
- 2026-03-31: Read second time (House)
- 2026-03-31: Amended (House)
- 2026-03-31: Member(s) request name added as sponsor: W.Newton, Hewitt, Calhoon, Gibson (House)
- 2026-03-31: Scrivener's error corrected (legislature)
- 2026-03-26: Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary (House)
- 2026-03-25: Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Lastinger (House)
- 2026-02-05: Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Govan, Wickensimer (House)
- 2026-01-28: Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Terribile, Huff (House)
- 2026-01-22: Member(s) request name added as sponsor: T.Moore, Chapman, Lawson, Brewer, Ford, Pedalino, Ligon, Robbins (House)
- 2026-01-21: Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Schuessler, Sessions (House)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House)
- 2026-01-13: Introduced and read first time (House)
- 2025-12-16: Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House)
- 2025-12-16: Prefiled (House)

## Bill text

- Introduced: [HTML](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/4591.htm)

## Related bills

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- S 0586: AN ACT TO AMEND ACT 172 OF 1995, RELATING TO THE KERSHAW COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE KERSHAW COUNTY TRANSPORTATIO… (signed)
- H 5653: AN ACT TO AMEND ACT 843 OF 1952, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE LEE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, SO AS TO CLARIFY THE METHOD BY WHICH PERSONS FILE TO BECOME A CANDI… (signed)
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## Sources
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/4591.htm)

## Related
- [S 0623: AN ACT TO EXEMPT GEORGETOWN COUNTY FROM CERTAIN BUILDING REQUIREMENTS AND TO AL…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-S0623-2025-2026)
- [S 0586: AN ACT TO AMEND ACT 172 OF 1995, RELATING TO THE KERSHAW COUNTY TRANSPORTATION…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-S0586-2025-2026)
- [H 5653: AN ACT TO AMEND ACT 843 OF 1952, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE LEE COUNTY BOARD O…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-H5653-2025-2026)
- [S 1062: A JOINT RESOLUTION TO APPROVE REGULATIONS OF THE STATE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDU…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-S1062-2025-2026)
- [S 0779: A JOINT RESOLUTION TO PROVIDE THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL RE…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-S0779-2025-2026)
- [H 5261: A JOINT RESOLUTION TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING ALCOHOL SERVER TRAINING…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-H5261-2025-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/SC-H4591-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).