Children who've been featured in their parent's online content creation could have more control over their image under a new bill introduced in the California legislature
SB 1247 — authored by Democratic State Senator Steve Padilla of San Diego — would allow people who appeared in paid content as minors to request it be deleted or edited once they turn 18. Parents or guardians are given 10 days to comply under the bill or face a three $3,000 fine for each day in violation and open themselves up to a lawsuit.
Under the bill, social media platforms would be required to create tools allowing people to request that content featuring them as minors be removed.
The request would typically be directed to the one who controlled the account, with platforms facilitating the process, though how those mechanisms would be built isn’t stated. Padilla clarified it would be up to the companies to determine those mechanisms.
The proposal is designed to address the realities of a rapidly expanding influencer economy, which Padilla noted could reach half a trillion dollars by the end of the decade.
“I'm old. So when I was a young boy everyone was talking about wanting to be a firefighter or a policeman or a doctor or something,” Padilla said. “Today: ‘I want to be a YouTuber.’”
California previously updated its landmark child performer financial protections known as the Coogan Law — originally signed into law in 1939. Assembly Bill 1880 — signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2025 — included child influencers within Coogan by requiring that a portion of their earnings be set aside.
A 2023 Morning Consult survey of 1,000 “Gen-Zers” showed 57% want to be influencers.
Padilla emphasized the bill is rooted in protecting mental health, privacy and dignity.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies and Consumer Protection Committee on April 6.
Advocates Describe Lasting Harm
Alyson Stoner — a former child actress and dancer turned mental health advocate — began working at the age of 7. She has appeared in some of the most iconic music videos in the early 2000s from artists like Missy Elliot to Eminem and starred in feature films including the Step Up films.
Stoner described years of exploitation and loss of privacy that began before she could fully understand the consequences of being in the public eye
“By 9, clips of me spread globally online, leading to thousands of online forums and comments openly debating my appearance, my talent, and worth,” Stoner said. “I was 10 when internet predators and people in jail began targeting me for pedophilia and bail money.”
She recounted experiences ranging from online harassment to stalking to identity theft — issues she said are now common for children featured online, not just those in traditional entertainment.
“This harm is the norm, not the exception,” Stoner said.
Child privacy advocates say the issue has expanded far beyond Hollywood. Children today can become public figures without needing a special talent or the desire to perform. Instead, celebrities can come simply through family social media accounts, often without consent or understanding.
“The boundaries have blurred as personal home spaces become sets for content. The child's real life becomes entertainment,” Stoner said.
Caymi Barrett knows what it’s like to grow up in front of the internet with a “mommy blogger.” Barrett's mother featured her in many posts which heavily documented her life.
“I've had to learn how to navigate life with a digital footprint that I wasn't even aware was being curated for me,” Barrett said. “Photos I wish I never saw the light of day, private details about my health, when I started my first menstrual cycle, even the name of my elementary school and the teachers I had.”
Barrett still struggles with what people may know about her or how the idea that their perception of her may be based solely on posts from her mother.
Actress Jillian Clare, a board member with SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local and national chair of the Young Performers Committee, spent her teen years having her appearance be scrutinized by internet forums. Claire said that scrutiny has only amplified with the ever changing landscape of social media.
“Content created by a child today doesn't just live online. It can be manipulated, replicated, and reused in ways we are only beginning to understand.” Clare said. “A child's likeness, voice, and identity can be altered or repurposed indefinitely without their knowledge or consent long after that content was first shared.”
A Growing National Conversation
While some states have passed similar legislation to California’s Coogan Law, few have implemented the provisions being proposed with SB 1247. Utah and Minnesota have done so in recent years.
In 2025, Maryland lawmakers introduced legislation with similar language surrounding child influencers, but it was ultimately stalled in committee early on. The bill was reintroduced earlier this year.
As of now, no formal opposition to the California bill has been registered.
Still, it seems more states are beginning the conversation about protections surrounding an industry that’s still evolving.
Stoner added that while not perfect, traditional media has at least some guardrails for child performers, but millions of young content creators operate without any protections.
“Once privacy is lost, it's lost forever. It's essential to intervene before this new pipeline for child exploitation calcifies further,” Stoner said.
If passed, SB 1247 would mark a significant step in redefining digital rights for a generation raised online, giving people like Caymi Barrett, for the first time, a legal pathway to erase parts of their past.
“[California] has the opportunity to add a right to be forgotten, which is something I wish someone would have thought for me to have,” Barrett said.