Bill > H3043

This bill expands South Carolina's existing laws on sexual exploitation of minors to explicitly include "morphed" or artificially created child pornographic images. The bill introduces a new legal definition of an "identifiable minor" as a person who was a minor when an image was created or altered, and who is recognizable by their face, likeness, or distinguishing characteristics, even if their exact identity cannot be proven. The legislation modifies several sections of state law, including those related to first, second, and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, to incorporate this new definition. The changes mean that creating, distributing, possessing, or modifying digital images that appear to depict a minor in sexually explicit situations - even if the image is computer-generated or artificially altered - can now be prosecuted under child exploitation statutes. The bill maintains existing penalties, which range from two to twenty years in prison depending on the specific offense, and explicitly states that mistake of age is not a valid legal defense. The modifications aim to update legal language to address emerging digital technologies that can create realistic but fabricated images of minors in sexually explicit scenarios.

Justice

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3043&session=126&summary=B