South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

S 1037 — Protecting Children from Chatbots

Last action — Scrivener's error corrected

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 19, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 20% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM CHATBOTS ACT"; BY ADDING CHAPTER 81 TO TITLE 39, SO AS TO DEFINE TERMS RELATED TO CHATBOT USAGE; TO PROVIDE THAT A COVERED ENTITY SHALL MAKE A LIMITED-ACCESS MODE OF A CHATBOT AVAILABLE AND VERIFY THE USER'S AGE; TO PROVIDE THAT IF A PARENT PROVIDES CONSENT, THEN A MINOR SHALL BE ABLE TO USE A CHATBOT IN LIMITED-ACCESS MODE OR ACCESS RESTRICTED FEATURES; TO PROHIBIT A COVERED ENTITY FROM PRIORITIZING ENGAGEMENT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE USER'S WELL-BEING; TO PROVIDE PROCEDURES TO REPORT INCIDENTS OF HARM THAT A CHATBOT INFLICTS ON A MINOR; AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

4 added · 4 removed

4 line(s) added, 4 removed.

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Latest
24, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 1037Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
19, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 1037Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
BY ADDING CHAPTER 81 TO TITLE 39, SO AS TO DEFINE TERMS RELATED TO CHATBOT USAGE;
BY ADDING CHAPTER 81 TO TITLE 39, SO AS TO DEFINE TERMS RELATED TO CHAT BOT USAGE;
TO PROHIBIT A COVERED ENTITY FROM PRIORITIZING ENGAGEMENT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE USER'S WELL-BEING;
TO PROHIBIT A COVERED ENTITY FROM PRIORITIZING ENGAGEMENT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE USER'S WELLBEING;
----XX---- This web page was last updated on March 24, 2026 at 01:06 PM
----XX---- This web page was last updated on March 19, 2026 at 11:35 AM
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Action History

  1. Scrivener's error corrected

  2. Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

  3. Introduced and read first time

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 166 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (166)

166 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 166 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights technology
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 1037 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS SO AS TO ENACT THE "PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM CHATBOTS ACT"; BY ADDING CHAPTER 81 TO TITLE 39, SO AS TO DEFINE TERMS RELATED TO CHATBOT USAGE; TO PROVIDE THAT A COVERED ENTITY SHALL MAKE A LIMITED-ACCESS MODE OF A CHATBOT AVAILABLE AND VERIFY THE USER'S AGE; TO PROVIDE THAT IF A PARENT PROVIDES CONSENT, THEN A MINOR SHALL BE ABLE TO USE A CHATBOT IN LIMITED-ACCESS MODE OR ACCESS RESTRICTED FEATURES; TO PROHIBIT A COVERED ENTITY FROM PRIORITIZING ENGAGEMENT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE USER'S WELL-BEING; TO PROVIDE PROCEDURES TO REPORT INCIDENTS OF HARM THAT A CHATBOT INFLICTS ON A MINOR; AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES.
Who sponsors S 1037?
S 1037 is sponsored by Senator Josh Kimbrell, Senator Billy Garrett, Senator Rex F. Rice, and Senator Brian Adams.
What is the current status of S 1037?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 19, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 1037?
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