South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has expressed his support for four legislative bills designed to combat child exploitation and bolster protections for children in the state. These bills, backed by the Joint Citizens & Legislative Committee on Children, aim to address threats such as AI-generated child abuse material and morphed pornography while enhancing child advocacy efforts.
“These bills are a crucial step forward in ensuring South Carolina remains at the forefront of protecting our children,” stated Attorney General Wilson. “As technology evolves, so do the dangers our kids face. We must act swiftly to close legal loopholes and give law enforcement the tools needed to combat these horrific crimes.”
Attorney General Wilson has been an advocate against child exploitation both within South Carolina and on a national level. In 2024, he led a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general supporting the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024. This federal initiative seeks to examine AI-generated child sexual abuse material and propose solutions for law enforcement to effectively address these issues. His office also leads the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is instrumental in investigating and prosecuting online offenders targeting minors.
“This is a situation where our laws have not kept up with technology,” Wilson noted. “Someone can use artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material of a child that doesn’t really exist or take innocent photos of a real child from social media and use AI to generate explicit content. These bills ensure South Carolina has strong protections in place to hold offenders accountable.”
Attorney General Wilson continues to advocate for stronger laws, harsher penalties for predators, and more resources for law enforcement agencies fighting against child exploitation. He calls on the legislature to enact these bills promptly.