State Laws Now Safeguard Earnings and Privacy of Child Influencers
Several states, including California, Illinois, Minnesota, Utah, and Tennessee, have enacted laws requiring parents to set aside a portion of children's earnings from monetized content into trust accounts. These laws also mandate record-keeping and give children the right to request deletion of old content upon turning 18. Tennessee's law, effective this year, is the latest to address the growing family vlogging industry.
The laws follow a template modeled on child actor protections, requiring trust accounts, earnings logs, and deletion rights at adulthood. California and Illinois led in 2024, with Minnesota and Utah following in 2025. Additional states are expected to introduce similar legislation before year's end.
Tennessee's version, effective July 2026, is the most stringent, barring children under 14 from earning from self-posted content and triggering trust obligations when a child appears in 30 percent of monetized posts within a rolling 30-day window.
These laws could reshape how families approach content creation, turning casual posting into a regulated activity with financial and record-keeping obligations. Parents who never considered themselves professional creators may face new compliance burdens, while child influencers gain legal leverage to claim earnings and request content removal. The broader effect may be a cultural shift in sharenting norms, as families weigh legal exposure against the benefits of sharing their lives online.