{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-14-202.5","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-202.5","heading":"Ban online conduct by high-risk sex offenders that endangers children.","body":"(a)\tOffense. - It is unlawful for a high-risk sex offender to do any of the following online:\n(1)\tTo communicate with a person that the offender believes is under 16 years of age.\n(2)\tTo contact a person that the offender believes is under 16 years of age.\n(3)\tTo pose falsely as a person under 16 years of age with the intent to commit an unlawful sex act with a person the offender believes is under 16 years of age.\n(4)\tTo use a website to gather information about a person that the offender believes is under 16 years of age.\n(5)\tTo use a commercial social networking website in violation of a policy, posted in a manner reasonably likely to come to the attention of users, prohibiting convicted sex offenders from using the site.\n(b)\tDefinition of Commercial Social Networking Website. - For the purposes of this section, a \"commercial social networking website\" includes any website, application, portal, or other means of accessing the internet that meets all of the following requirements:\n(1)\tIs operated by a person who derives revenue from membership fees, advertising, or other sources related to the operation of the website.\n(2)\tRepealed by Session Laws 2019-245, s. 3(a), effective December 1, 2019, and applicable to offenses committed on or after that date.\n(3)\tAllows users to create personal Web pages or profiles that contain the user's name or nickname, photographs of the user, and other personal information.\n(4)\tProvides users or visitors a mechanism to communicate with others, such as a message board, chat room, or instant messenger.\n(c)\tExclusions from Commercial Social Networking Website Definition. - A commercial social networking website does not include a website that meets either of the following requirements:\n(1)\tRepealed by Session Laws 2019-245, s. 3(a), effective December 1, 2019, and applicable to offenses committed on or after that date.\n(2)\tHas as its primary purpose the facilitation of commercial transactions, the dissemination of news, the discussion of political or social issues, or professional networking.\n(3)\tIs a website owned or operated by a local, State, or federal governmental entity.\n(c1)\tDefinition of High-Risk Sex Offender. - For purposes of this section, the term \"high-risk sex offender\" means any person registered in accordance with Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes that meets any of the following requirements:\n(1)\tWas convicted of an aggravated offense, as that term is defined in G.S. 14-208.6, against a person under 18 years of age.\n(2)\tIs a recidivist, as that term is defined in G.S. 14-208.6, and one offense is against a person under 18 years of age.\n(3)\tWas convicted of an offense against a minor, as that term is defined in G.S. 14-208.6.\n(4)\tWas convicted of a sexually violent offense, as that term is defined in G.S. 14-208.6, against a person under 18 years of age.\n(5)\tWas found by a court to be a sexually violent predator, as that term is defined in G.S. 14-208.6, based on a conviction of a sexually violent offense committed against a minor.\n(d)\tJurisdiction. - The offense is committed in the State for purposes of determining jurisdiction, if the transmission that constitutes the offense either originates in the State or is received in the State.\n(e)\tPunishment. - A violation of this section is a Class H felony.\n(f)\tSeverability. - If any provision of this section or its application is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this section that can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications, and, to this end, the provisions of this section are severable. (2008-218, s. 6; 2009-570, s. 4; 2019-245, s. 3(a); 2025-25, s. 29(3), (5).)","path":["Chapter 14. Criminal Law.","SUBCHAPTER VII. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC MORALITY AND DECENCY.","Article 26. Offenses Against Public Morality and Decency."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_14/GS_14-202.5.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T17:56:32Z","sha256":"0fac17b627fedb2293abd5d1b212ea9af6ef79fdb04dac09226cddef0458c332","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-14-202.4","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-14-202.5a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}