Social Media Control in IT Act
Senate Bill 514 would create a new Article in Chapter 75 of the North Carolina General Statutes regulating social media platforms that have more than 1 million monthly active users in the United States. The bill requires platforms to provide clear disclosures and obtain consent before collecting user-related data, gives users rights to access, correct, and delete personal information, and limits how platforms may use personal information in algorithmic recommendation systems. It also bars covered platforms from using a minor’s personal information in algorithmic recommendations and requires default privacy-protective settings for minors, including turning off notifications, interaction counts, direct messaging from non-approved contacts, geolocation visibility, and certain engagement-boosting features.
The bill further creates enforcement mechanisms by making violations of the new article an unfair or deceptive trade practice under Chapter 75, authorizing Attorney General investigation and civil enforcement, and allowing minors to bring private actions for damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, and attorneys’ fees. It also establishes a North Carolina Data Privacy Task Force within the Department of Justice to study social media’s mental health impacts and report annually to the General Assembly, and it appropriates $100,000 per year for two fiscal years to develop the registry referenced in the bill. The act’s main operative provisions take effect October 1, 2026, while the appropriation and other non-Article provisions take effect July 1, 2025.
If enacted, the bill would significantly expand state consumer privacy and online safety law by imposing new duties on large social media platforms operating in North Carolina, especially with respect to minors’ data and algorithmic content recommendations. It would amend Chapter 75 to add a new article, tie violations to the state’s unfair and deceptive trade practices law, and create both public enforcement by the Attorney General and private litigation rights for minors. The bill would also require platform design changes, consent workflows, data access and deletion tools, and default privacy settings for minors, while directing state resources to a new task force and registry development.
No committee transcripts or vote records were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to gauge the bill’s reception. Based on the bill text, the measure is framed as a child-safety and privacy initiative aimed at reducing social media addiction and harmful algorithmic targeting, suggesting a protective and reform-oriented intent. The absence of votes or discussion means there is no documented bipartisan support or opposition in the provided materials.
The most likely points of contention are the bill’s broad restrictions on algorithmic recommendation systems, its consent and disclosure requirements, and its private right of action, all of which could be viewed by platforms as burdensome or difficult to implement. Another likely issue is the prohibition on using minors’ personal information in recommendation systems and the default disabling of engagement features, which may raise concerns about product design, speech, and operational feasibility. The bill also gives the Attorney General and private plaintiffs significant enforcement authority, which could be contested by industry stakeholders, while child-safety advocates would likely support those provisions.