SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new Illinois law, which went into effect today, July 1st, is designed to protect children whose parents are social media influencers.
The law requires parents to set up a trust fund for their child if they earn income from their child’s likeness.
A social media user who makes money from content uploaded to YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, or another platform that features a child in 30% or more of their content must set aside 15% of the gross earnings from the video content into a trust.
The law requires parents to report to the Illinois Department of Labor how much money they made, what hours the child worked to produce the content, and how much they deposited into the child’s trust account.
The money is required to be held in the child’s name until they reach 18 years old.
The law also allows the child to request the deletion of any content they were featured in upon turning 18. If the parent does not follow the law, the minor may sue for damages.
The bill passed the General Assembly in May.
