Illinois’ New Law Allows Child Influencers to Sue Parents for Earnings

A new law that took effect on July 1st mandates that children appearing on social media in monetized videos must be compensated for by their parents.

When I was a kid, we all wished we were internet famous just like our favorite Youtubers, Vine stars, and even Twitch Streamers.  This day in age, it's so easy to go viral on social media and make a few bucks off a monetized video!

Illinois' new Child Labor law now covers children featured on their parents’ or caregivers’ social media accounts.

Read More: Here Are Illinois’ New Taxes And Laws That Started On July 1st 

Senator David Koehler Koehler stated this in an emailed press release after the bill was signed last year:

“The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” & “Many parents have taken this opportunity to pocket the money while making their children continue to work in these digital environments.”

• under 16 years old
• who appear on-screen for more than 30% of videos on monetized online platforms, including video blogs

Related: Illinois Bill Approved: License Suspension After 3 Unpaid Tickets

They'll receive 50% of the profits based on their screen time. The adult creating the videos must place gross earnings in a trust account within 30 days, which the child can access when they turn 18.... or the child can actually sue.

"Children “deserve to be shielded from parents who would attempt to take advantage of their child’s talents and use them for their own financial gain,” said Alex Gough, a spokesperson for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, after the governor signed the legislation." [apnews]

This is a huge step in the forever-evolving digital world.  Shoutout to our lawmakers for seeing how important digital creators are, no matter their age!