Disruption

Lawmakers seek safeguards for child influencers amid exploitation concerns

‘Kidfluencer’ protection bills aim to expand protections for performers not covered by child actor laws.

Austin Jenkins

06:00 AM, Mar 27, 2026

Teenager Shreya Nallamothu looks at her phone in Bloomington, Ill., on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Watching social media posts during the pandemic lockdown, “I realized that there’s a lot of exploitation that can happen within the world of ‘kidfluencing,’” she says, referring to the monetization of social media content featuring children. “And I realized that there was absolutely zero legislation in place to protect them.” (AP Photo/Claire Savage, File)

Legislation aiming to crack down on the exploitation of child social media stars was considered this year in nearly a dozen states. 

Lawmakers in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington introduced “kidfluencer” protection bills that would create or expand protections for performers not covered by child actor laws.

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