This week, you may have heard something about the Brazilian actress Larissa Manoela’s break with her parents over issues involving the ownership and management of the young actress’s assets.
Larissa began her television career at just 4 years old, and her parents have managed her earnings since then. Now, at 18, Larissa discovered that she actually owned almost none of what she had earned throughout her childhood and adolescence.
In the age of social media, the number of children who “work” as influencers increases every day. And like Larissa, their earnings are managed by their parents.
Thinking about the benefit of these children, American states are discussing laws to protect not only their finances but also any possibility of being exploited by their guardians.
No child works for free
Since children under 13 are not allowed to have social media accounts – nor can they open bank accounts or sign sponsorship contracts – parents usually run the show.
The state of Illinois is the first to change its Child Labor Law, now allowing individuals over 18 to file lawsuits if they are not properly compensated for the content in which they appeared as children.
The qualified content must generate at least 10 cents per view, and the child must appear in at least 30% of the account’s content over a 30-day period. Parents must place 50% of the earnings into a trust fund based on the percentage of time the child appears in the video.
Thus, if a child appears in 50% of a video, they would receive 25% of the earnings.
Other states like California and Washington are discussing similar laws.
Child influencers can be quite lucrative
In the United States, 11-year-old YouTuber Ryan Kaji earned over $25 million for his family in 2020. Twin girls Taytum and Oakley Fisher earn between $10,000 and $20,000 per sponsored post, according to The New York Times.
Source: The Hustle