Illinois Passes First US Law to Protect and Compensate Child Influencers
Illinois has become the first state in the U.S. to pass a new law designed to protect children who are influencers or who appear in their parents’ social media content.
Last week, Illinois officially passed the nation’s first legislation to ensure that child influencers are compensated for their work on social media
According to the Associated Press, the Illinois law will “entitle influencers under the age of 16 to a percentage of earnings based on how often they appear on video blogs or online content that generates at least 10 cents per view.”
To qualify, the content must be created in Illinois, and kids would have to be featured in at least 30% of the content in a 30-day period.
Vloggers would be responsible for maintaining records of children’s appearances and must set aside gross earnings for the child in a trust account which they can access when they turn 18 years old. If not, the child can sue.
‘Long Overdue’
Associated Press reports that this legislation was first championed by Shreya Nallamothu, who at 15 years old found herself concerned about protecting kids from finding stardom online. She contacted State Senator David Koehler Peoria with her idea, and he later proposed the legislation.
The bill was passed through the Illinois Senate unanimously in March and was signed into law on August 11. The legislation will go into effect on July 1, 2024.
“The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” Senator David Koehler writes in a press release after the bill was signed on Friday.
“Many parents have taken this opportunity to pocket the money while making their children continue to work in these digital environments.”
Currently, there are no laws in the U.S. that protect child influencers, or children whose parents post them online for monetary gain. Advocates say this is long overdue and Illinois’ new legislation may serve as a model for other states to follow suit.
Many states already require parents to set aside earnings for child entertainers who perform in more traditional settings such as movies and television, but Illinois’ law will be the first to specifically target children featured on social media.
PetaPixel previously reported on a terrifying ad campaign featuring a deepfaked girl warning parents against sharing photos and videos of their kids on social media — sometimes known as “sharenting.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
