Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) presented a bill to the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee on Thursday that aims to provide additional protections for minors appearing in online media.
The proposed legislation, HF3488, is modeled after a California law that requires compensation and trust accounts for underage actors in the entertainment industry.
It would mandate that minors featured in over 30% of a content creator’s monetized videos have a portion of the revenue set aside in a trust account until age 18. The bill also allows minors to request deletion of content using their image after age 13.
“This can be big money,” said Stephenson, citing instances where popular social media accounts featuring children earn thousands per post. “But this industry also has a very dark side.”
He referenced disturbing cases of parents exploiting their own children through harsh punishments and sexual abuse. HF3488 intends to curb such exploitation by requiring detailed records and ensuring minors have access to their earnings.