- A new Illinois law is designed to protect child social media stars financially.
- A portion of the money earned from a child's social media account must now be put into a trust until they are 18.
A new Illinois law is now the first in the country designed to protect the earnings of children who are social media influencers or who appear in their parents' social media content.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill into law on August 11. Beginning July 1, 2024, children under 16 who are social media influencers or who appear in their parents' own content will be entitled to a certain percentage of earnings from that content, based on how much they appear.
This money must be put in a trust until the child turns 18. Otherwise, they are entitled to sue, according to the law.
This legislation was first championed by Shreya Nallamothu, who at 15 years old found herself concerned about protecting kids finding stardom online, the Associated Press reported. She contacted State Sen. David Koehler with her idea, and he later proposed the legislation.
"I realized that there's a lot of exploitation that can happen within the world of 'kidfluencing,'" Nallamothu told the Associated Press. "And I realized that there was absolutely zero legislation in place to protect them.
Koehler said he expects Illinois will not be the only state to adopt this law. "I think you'll see other states following us on this," Koehler told Teen Vogue.
Washington is also considering a similar law, which has been stalled in the state House Committee since February.