A New Minnesota Law Sets Guardrails for Children Featured in Online Videos
The life of a content creator may sound glamorous: money, recognition and opportunities just for being yourself and showcasing what you love. In fact, a recent study of 1,000 young people revealed that more than half want to be influencers.
However, the glamour comes with many downsides, especially for children.
Recently, public attention has been drawn to high-profile news stories and popular documentaries, like Bad Influence, The Dark Side of Kidfluencing (on Netflix) and Devil in the Family (on Hulu). These documentaries highlight the long hours and the potential for financial exploitation and abuse that can come with influencing.
Fortunately, increased awareness about these harms has led to greater protection for kids. Here in Minnesota, a new statute took effect on July 1, 2025. It was designed to protect child “content creators”—minors who are featured in monetized videos on social media sites like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
In this article, we’ll outline what the law says, how it compares to other similar laws and what effects it might have.
Minnesota Age Limits for Internet Content Creation
The new law is the Minnesota Statute § 181A.13, Compensation for Internet Content Creation. It sets the standards for compensation to children based on their age.
Children 13 and younger are now prohibited from participating in the creation of monetized videos on social media. However, they may still be featured in content. When that happens, they receive all of the proceeds from that video (split amongst the minors included).
Teens 14 to 17 are allowed to produce, create and publish videos on social media, as well as being featured in them.
These children are considered engaged in the work if they are included in at least 30% of a content creator’s paid content produced within a 30-day period over the course of one year. This comes into play when their name, photograph or likeness is used. It even counts if they’re the subject of the narrative.
The law applies only when parents’ posts generate a certain amount of money, detailed in the law as $0.01 or greater for every view.
Adults who were featured as minors also have rights. The law empowers adults who were featured on social media as children to demand that their content be removed from platforms. That means they have some power to control the content themselves when they come of age.
The New Content Creation Law Doesn’t Apply to Everyone
While this sounds far-reaching, lawmakers did try to strike a balance. Children who appear only occasionally in a parent’s social media account may not be subject to the law. And parents can still freely post pictures and videos of their children on social media if those videos aren’t monetized.
In addition, children being filmed “incidentally” in a public place, like a concert or sporting event, are not covered by this law.
What If You Still Want to Create Content With Your Kid(s)?
You can, but you must follow certain criteria.
- You must keep detailed records. If any of your work features a minor, you must keep all records until they turn 21. Records include their name, the number of minutes featured, total compensation, and more. Records must also be accessible for the minor to review.
- You must put the money into a trust. Any money that a minor makes must be paid into a trust account that will become available to them when they turn 18.
If you’re interested in continuing to create content, reach out to us at White & Associates. We can help you set up the trust(s) and go over the law with you. We can also help you review the rest of your estate planning and make recommendations.
Think of Our Content Creation Statute as a Child Labor Law
The law isn’t meant to stifle what children can say online or limit First Amendment rights to free speech. The intent of the law is to protect children from abuse or exploitation. In fact, in the statute, you will see that they use the phrase, “the work of content creation”—acknowledging that it truly is a job for some.
In Minnesota, 14 is the minimum age to work most jobs. The new law brings content creation in line with other jobs that kids can legally do.
Legal Protections for Child Influencers in Other States
Other states have similar policies. In 2024, Illinois became the first state in the nation to expand its child labor laws to cover child influencers and vloggers. California and Minnesota quickly followed. Unlike Minnesota’s law, California’s doesn’t include an age limit.
Utah has also passed similar legislation in response to the child abuse case featured in the Devil in the Family documentary.
What Effects Could Child Influencer Laws Have?
The digital landscape is always changing. As new trends emerge and new platforms become popular, it’s hard to tell exactly how things will play out over time. The best outcome would be that child and teenage content creators are now protected:
- They can’t be forced to work long hours creating content.
- They can’t have earnings from the content hidden from them and used to support a parent’s lifestyle.
- They can’t be forced to live with an internet full of their most embarrassing childhood moments without recourse.
Some Creators Fear Losing Revenue
Some Minnesota content creators worry that this change will limit their ability to earn revenue that directly supports their families. For example, there are Minnesota “mommy bloggers” who depend on their influencer earnings in order to stay home with their kids.
However, most critics acknowledge that some protections are necessary to make sure kids are safe from financial, emotional and physical abuse.
Questions About How the Law Affects Child Influencers?
If you’re creating monetized content that involves kids or teens under 18, it’s a good idea to talk with a lawyer about the new law. Your attorney can help you understand whether the law applies to you and your family. They can also help you set up a trust for the money that your teen earns on social media.
Get started by contacting White & Associates in Otsego, Minnesota, to schedule a confidential consultation about your situation. We can help you understand what to expect and what your options may be. Contact us online or call us at 763-241-0477.
