Should Parents Have to Pay Their “Kidfluencers”? Colorado Joins the Debate.

Social media platforms today are bursting with countless videos of children taking their first steps, speaking their first words, going on their first dates, and even having their first periods. Internet-savvy parents rack up millions of views — and sometimes millions of dollars — by sharing their kids’ lives online.

But in most states, there’s no guarantee that the children will ever see any of that money.

That could soon change in Colorado. If passed by state legislators, House Bill 26-1058 would require certain parents and guardians who feature minors in monetized online content to set aside a portion of their earnings into trust funds for the minors.

“When the child grows up, they may have nothing to show for years of their image and likeness being used to generate income,” says Republican State Representative Scott Slaugh, a co-sponsor of the bill. “Much of their life’s pursuit goes unpaid to them.”

HB 1058 unanimously cleared its first hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, January 28. It will now go to the full Colorado House of Representatives for consideration.

A handful of other states have recently passed similar protections for child influencers, including California, Minnesota, Illinois and Utah. The Utah policy was passed just last year, following the revelation that local family vlogger Ruby Franke had abused her six children and subjected them to constant video surveillance while creating content for her popular YouTube channel.

“Today’s children working in the digital economy deserve basic protections,” says Democratic State Representative Meghan Lukens, another sponsor of the bill. “That’s exactly what this bill does.”

Under HB 1058, parents and guardians would have to set aside at least 50 percent of gross earnings from online content featuring the minor in a trust account. The minor would gain access to the trust when they’re an adult or declared emancipated. If there are multiple minors involved, the fifty percent would be divided equally between them in separate trusts.

The bill would apply to monetized content creators who earn at least $15,000 from online content a year and feature the minor’s likeness or name in at least 30 percent of their content.

In addition to establishing financial protections for child influencers, HB 1058 would also provide privacy protections. Once they reach adulthood, the kidfluencers may request that their parents or guardians remove content that features them as a minor. If they don’t comply within thirty days, the kidfluencer may sue for relief and the online hosting platform must review and take steps to remove the content.

TikTok, YouTube, Google and the Motion Picture Association are backing the bill. No organizations are registered in opposition as of January 28.

“At YouTube, we invest heavily in the safety and well-being of our young users, whether they’re watching content or participating in content creation,” says Melissa Boutz, a spokesperson for YouTube. “We think this is a balanced approach which is centered on the best interests of kidfluencers.”

If passed into law, HB 1058 will take effect on June 1, 2027.