How a Coogan Law Could Protect Child Social Media Influencers
Social media is an integral part of daily life, and many adults today have managed to turn content creation into a career for themselves. But what happens if you’re an online influencer who has children?
You face the same dilemma: Is it okay to include your kids in your content, or should you shield them since the internet is forever?
Influencer kids shouldn’t have their childhoods turned into content. And since they’re not protected by law as of yet, here’s how a Coogan-type law can protect them if introduced.
What’s the Coogan Law?
The California Child Actor’s Bill is a law put in place to protect children in the entertainment industry. Most people know it as the Coogan Law, but it also goes by the Coogan Act or Coogan Bill.
Child performers who are minors don’t have legal control over their earnings. And many guardians can exploit that and spend the money the child makes, leaving them with nothing once the child finally gains that legal control.
The Coogan Law ensures that 15% of a child performer’s revenue is set aside and held in a trust until the child reaches adulthood. That way, when they’re in charge of their money, they will have at least something to show for the time they’ve worked.
Moreover, if you’re a child performer, you must apply for a work permit. Different states have different requirements for age, work limitations, and so on, but one is always necessary.
But the permit is only the beginning. After the child gets it, their guardian has to ensure that certain other rules are followed, including the amount of time they’re allowed to work or even be on location.
There are also requirements for a set time for education, meals, and breaks. Again, the child’s best interest must be upheld. Yes, they’re allowed to work, but their quality of life and development cannot suffer for it.
The Coogan Law safeguards children from being exploited. Unfortunately, the Coogan Law as is does not apply to the kids of online content creators.
How a Coogan Law Could Protect Young Creators
Since children have no legal say over their lives, children of influencer parents likewise have no say on whether their lives will be made into content. Frighteningly, there are no laws when it comes to influencer kids. Butthere are some things you should simply not share on social media.
Here are some reasons why a Coogan law for influencer children would be highly beneficial.
It Ensures Children Will Be Paid for Work
Kid or not, you deserve payment if you’re working. And if you’re used for content purposes by your parents, then you are working.
But if there’s nothing to demand your parents set aside a part of the money they made with your help, who’s to say you’ll even see a dime from it? If no laws ensure you see some of the finances you helped generate, your parents can spend it all.
That’s exactly why the Coogan law was put into place—Jackie Coogan sued his parents for spending all the money he made as a child actor. So despite working for years, as an adult, he had nothing to show for it.
Why should influencer kids be faced with the same looming threat? Yes, it may not happen, but what if it does? Wouldn’t it be better to ensure it never does?
It Protects Kids From Overwork
The Coogan law sets firm rules about how long a child performer can legally work each day. There are also set requirements for breaks, education, food, and so on.
There’s nothing like that when it comes to influencer kids. If influencer parents decide to use their kids for content all day, they can.
Many creator parents have tried to justify filming their kids for content by saying they’re only sharing what their child was already doing in the first place. But even if they’re just playing with toys, as long as there’s a camera, it’s no longer an enrichment activity but work.
Your child deserves a break from cameras; they deserve some privacy. And a Coogan law can guarantee that their time is divided fairly even though they’re too young to have to worry about a good work-life balance.
Protecting Mental Health
The internet is hardly the best place; countless faceless people hurl insults at everyone they dislike. It’s not even only contained to faceless individuals anymore. Sadly, bullying is becoming more and more normalized, even if your name is right there for all to see.
Grown adults share how difficult it is sometimes for them to endure the bad parts of the internet, so what about children? If you share them online, they’re bound to face the same negativity adults do, except they’re far less equipped to handle it.
You may experience bullying not only online but in person, too. And even if you find a way todeal with the cyberbullying, children go to kindergarten and school, and you can’t be there with them all the time.
Due to you using them for content, they may have a hard time forming friendships and feel alone. Resentment may arise towards you if you continue using them for content and perpetuating the problem.
If the Coogan law is amended to protect influencer children, they may avoid all that. One way to go about it is to hide their face whenever sharing them online, ensuring they have at least some privacy.
Ensuring Safety
A Coogan Law for influencer kids is not a magic band-aid that will fix all problems kids may face due to their online presence. However, if there are regulations on how much of them the influencer parent can show, it may help with their safety.
It’s hardly a surprise that the internet is full of creeps. Though it’s nice to believe you as a parent wouldn’t need a special law to force you into doing your best tokeep your kids safe online, it wouldn’t hurt to have one.
As mentioned above, maybe the Coogan law for influencer kids can require parents to blur their kids' recognizable features so creeps have difficulty recognizing them in the real world.
Not Everyone Can (or Should) Be an Influencer
Influencers who are legal adults can decide for themselves what part of their lives to show online. When they have children, they decide for them, too. Kids as young as toddlers, and even babies, have their lives shared online for all to see, and they can’t do anything about it.
What’s stopping lawmakers from amending the current Coogan law to include influencer kids? Given that the law safeguards children from being exploited, they’ll only benefit from it.
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