South Carolina H 4631: Youth Mental Health Act

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4631 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4631

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH 
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE "SOCIAL MEDIA PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 
AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ACT" BY ADDING CHAPTER 16 TO TITLE 44 SO AS TO REQUIRE 
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS OPERATING IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO DISPLAY OFFICE 
OF MENTAL HEALTH PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING THE DANGERS OF SOCIAL 
MEDIA USE BY CHILDREN AND TEENS; TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN REPORTING REQUIREMENTS; 
TO CREATE PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Social Media Public Service Announcement 
and Youth Mental Health Act."

SECTION 2. Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

CHAPTER 16

Youth Mental Health

 Section 
44-16-10. (A) The General Assembly 
finds that:

 (1) 
Children and adolescents are increasingly exposed to the harms of social media, 
including anxiety, depression, body image issues, cyberbullying, and suicidal 
ideation.

 (2) 
Recent studies show direct correlations between prolonged exposure to social media 
algorithms and decreased mental health outcomes.

 (3) 
South Carolina has a compelling state interest in protecting the health, 
safety, and welfare of minors through the dissemination of accurate mental health 
information and awareness.

 (B) 
The purpose of this chapter is to ensure that all social media users in South 
Carolina, particularly minors, regularly encounter factual and evidence-based 
public service announcements about the potential harms of excessive social media 
use and available resources for mental health assistance.

 Section 
44-16-20. For purposes of this chapter:

 (1) 
"Feed" or "home page" means the sequence of user-generated or recommended 
content shown to a user when logged into a social media platform.

 (2) 
"Office" or "Office of Mental Health" means the Office of Mental Health of the 
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

 (3) 
"Public service announcement" or "PSA" means an educational digital message 
created or authorized by the Office of Mental Health discussing the dangers of social 
media use by children and teens including, but not limited to, risks of anxiety, 
depression, addiction, and self-harm, as well as available mental health and 
harm prevention resources.

 (4) 
"Social media platform" means any online website, application, or digital 
service that:

 (a) 
allows users to create accounts or profiles;

 (b) 
enables sharing of user-generated content such as images, videos, or text; and

 (c) 
utilizes an algorithmic feed, timeline, or "For You"-style page to distribute 
such content.

 (5) 
"User" means an individual who accesses a social media platform while 
physically located within the State of South Carolina.

 Section 
44-16-30. (A) Every social media 
platform that operates or allows access to users located in South Carolina 
shall ensure that for every ten posts, videos, stories, or comparable content 
items displayed on a user's feed or home page, one public service announcement 
developed by the Office of Mental Health is automatically displayed or 
inserted.

 (B)(1) The Office of Mental Health shall 
post on its website by January first of each year the approved PSA media 
content and technical guidelines for access and use by every covered social 
media platform.

 (2) 
The office shall maintain a record of every social media platform accessing the 
approved PSA media content and technical guidelines.

 (C) 
The PSA media content must:

 (1) 
be displayed prominently and in substantially the same format as user content 
(image, video, or text);

 (2) 
include a visible or clickable notice identifying it as a "Office of Mental 
Health Public Service Announcement"; and

 (3) 
link directly to mental health resources of the Office of Mental Health, such 
as helplines or educational materials.

 (D) Social 
media platforms may not alter, edit, or modify PSA media content other than to 
adjust formatting to meet technical specifications.

 Section 
44-16-40. (A) Every social media 
platform subject to this chapter must submit an annual compliance report to the 
Office of Mental Health by March first of each year, including:

 (1) 
the total number of South Carolina-based user impressions of PSA content;

 (2) 
average frequency of PSA display per user;

 (3) 
summary of technical integration measures; and

 (4) 
any difficulties or limitations encountered in implementing this requirement.

 (B) 
The office shall compile these reports into an annual Social Media PSA Compliance 
Report for submission to the Governor, the General Assembly