Exploring legislation for child influencers, the podcast delves into ethical concerns, privacy issues, and the financial implications for parents. With insights from a journalist, it discusses new laws aiming to protect child influencers' profits and rights, drawing comparisons to child actor regulations under the Coogan Law. The narrative highlights testimonies from former child influencers, shedding light on the impact of social media exposure on young personalities.
State legislation is being enacted to compensate child influencers for their appearances in monetized content.
Privacy legislation is being proposed to protect child influencers' digital footprints and empower them to delete content.
Deep dives
Child Influencer Legislation: Addressing Child Abuse and Compensation
Several states, including Illinois, have introduced legislation to protect child influencers under 16 and compensate them for revenue generated by their parents on social media. Recent cases like the Utah vlogger family facing child abuse charges underscore the need for such laws. The Illinois child influencer law and similar state proposals aim to safeguard children from exploitation and ensure fair compensation for their online content dissemination.
Negative Impact of Child Influencer Exploitation
Instances like the Utah vlogger family's child abuse scandal reveal the dark side of child influencer exploitation. The arrested vlogger and her partner faced allegations of child mistreatment, alongside promoting harmful parenting advice on their platforms. The prevalent use of child influencers without sufficient protections raises concerns about abuse hidden behind seemingly idyllic family vlogs.
Privacy Concerns and Child Influencers' Rights
Privacy legislation in states like Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, and Minnesota aims to protect child influencers' privacy by granting them rights to request content deletion at a certain age. The right to be forgotten concept reflects growing awareness of the lasting impact of oversharing children's personal experiences online. Such laws strive to empower child influencers and regulate their digital footprints.
Challenges in Regulating Child Influencer Industry
While state-level legislation for child influencers marks progress, implementing comprehensive federal laws remains challenging. The evolving nature of the child influencer industry, its entanglement with social media platforms, and differing state approaches pose obstacles to uniform regulations. Balancing the rights and well-being of child influencers with their online presence presents complex legal and ethical dilemmas for lawmakers.
Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by writer and journalist Fortesa Latifi who has been reporting extensively on child influencer legislation for Teen Vogue. In August 2023, the governor of Illinois passed an amendment to the state’s child labor law that would require parents to compensate their children for their appearances in monetized content. Drawing comparisons to the Coogan Law, several states have followed suit and proposed their own legislation to finally address the privacy and monetary concerns that former children influencers have started speaking up about.
This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.