California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two groundbreaking pieces of legislation — Assembly Bill 1880 and Senate Bill 764 — on Sept. 26, 2024, establishing protections for children featured in online content. These laws, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, introduce significant requirements for content creators and marketers who work with child influencers.
Content creators who feature minors in at least 30% of their content must now deposit 65% of the minor’s gross income into protected accounts. Additionally, child influencers are now included in the definition of “child performers,” granting them the earning protections previously established under California’s Coogan Law.
Governor Newsom was joined at the signing by singer and actress Demi Lovato, who has been an advocate for child labor laws and released a documentary titled “Child Star” highlighting these issues.
The Growing Influencer Economy
According to journalist Stephanie McNeal, author of “Swipe Up for More!,” the influencing industry generated approximately $21 billion in 2023. On an individual level, influencers with just a few thousand followers can earn at least $10,000 per post.
California, home to the largest number of influencers in the United States, follows other states that have implemented similar protections: Illinois passed Senate Bill 1782 on July. 1, 2024, extending Child Labor Law protections to minors 16 and younger. Minnesota passed legislation that will take effect on July. 1, prohibiting children under 14 from “engaging in the work of content creation” and requiring adult creators to delete content if a minor featured in it requests removal.
Public Response and Potential Impact
Since the implementation of these laws, social media communities have begun scrutinizing content creators’ motives more closely. For example, content creator Brittany Xavier’s announcement about relocating her family from California to Tennessee “for a slower-paced life” while her oldest child would remain in California until the end of the school year has drawn suspicion from users who believe she may be attempting to avoid the new child protection regulations.
Child influencers in the digital age
California’s new family influencer laws represent a significant step toward protecting children in the rapidly evolving digital content economy. As the influencer industry continues to grow, these protections ensure that children’s earnings are safeguarded and their rights as performers are recognized. As more states develop similar regulations, content creators who feature children will need to adapt their business practices to comply with these important protections designed to safeguard young performers in the digital age.
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