Illinois enacts first-of-its-kind law to compensate child ‘vloggers’

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Children may be entitled to compensation for appearing in their parents’ or guardians’ social media content under a new, groundbreaking Illinois law.

The new law is the first of its kind among U.S. states and officially took effect Monday as Public Act 103-0556 .

The law aims to offer protections for children engaged in “vlogging,” more specifically the production of video blogs that are monetized. It requires parents to set up a trust account for their child if they earn income from their child’s likeness through vlogging.

According to the law, a minor is considered to be involved in the work of vlogging when “at least 30% of the vlogger’s compensated video content produced within a 30-day period included the likeness, name, or photograph of the minor.”

Additionally, the law requires parents and guardian to report to the following information to the Illinois Department of Labor at least once a year:

• The name and age of the child vlogger
• How much money they made from their child in monetized videos
• How many hours the child worked to produce the content
• How much was deposited into the child’s trust account.

Under the law, the money would be held in the child’s name until they reach 18 years old.

A child could also be compensated if the “vlogger received actual compensation for video content equal to or greater than $0.10 per view,” according to the law.

The law also allows the child to request the “permanent deletion” of any content they were featured before 18 and file a lawsuit if that request is not followed.

Illinois updated its Child Labor Law to include the new vlogging provisions. Vlogging is most likely through video-based social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, though perhaps could also include Instagram and X.

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