Kids in Illinois now have to put their social media earnings into a trust account until they turn 18
Illinois passed the first U.S. income protection law for child influencers, writes Business Insider. A similar bill is being discussed in Washington.
Gov. Jay Robert Pritzker signed the law into law on August 11. According to him, from July 1, 2024, children under the age of 16 who are influencers or whose parents post photos and videos of them on the social network will be entitled to a certain percentage of content revenue. This money must be transferred to a trust account until the child reaches 18 years of age. Otherwise, the children will be able to sue.
We are talking about content that brings at least 10 cents per view. At the same time, children must appear in at least 30% of the photos and videos published during the 30-day period.
15-year-old Shreya Nallamotu advocated for a law to protect child stars on social networks, she turned to state senator David Koehler, who drafted a bill. “I realized that in the world of child influencer there can be many cases of exploitation. And I realized that there is absolutely no law to protect them,” said the girl.
The law was developed by analogy with the Coogan Bill of 1939. Then silent film actor Jackie Coogan sued his parents for squandering his fortune. The law obliges the parents of child actors to transfer 15% of the child’s fee to a bank account opened in his name until he reaches the age of majority. Coogan’s Bill is currently active in several states.