California — California lawmakers passed a groundbreaking bill on Thursday aimed at protecting child influencers from financial exploitation on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
The legislation, introduced by State Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), requires that a portion of earnings generated from content featuring minors be set aside in a trust fund accessible once the child reaches adulthood.
The bill updates and expands the state’s 1938 Coogan Act, which originally safeguarded the earnings of child actors in Hollywood.
With California being a hub of the global entertainment industry, Padilla emphasized the importance of adapting existing labor protections to include today’s child influencers. “The standards we set here become the blueprint for the nation and, indeed, the world,” Padilla stated.
If signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, California will join Illinois as one of the first states to implement financial protections for child influencers. The proposed law would require content creators who feature minors in at least 30% of their content and earn over $1,250 monthly to deposit 15% of their income into a trust for the child.
The bill does not apply to social media companies or minors with existing legal contracts but would empower affected children to seek legal recourse if these provisions are unmet.
Advocates for child labor and safety have expressed support, highlighting the need for legal frameworks that prevent the financial exploitation of children in the rapidly growing influencer economy.
