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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A bill passed by both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly will set rules for the treatment of children appearing in paid internet content, ensuring a portion of profits are set aside in their name and allowing them to request the permanent removal of certain content featuring them.
SB1469 by Sen. Page Walley (R-Bolivar- District 26) is specifically aimed at family influencers who profit from heavily featuring their children. In essence, if the child is part of the business, they will be treated as such by the state.
This bill would create some restrictions, which are defined in the legislation, for how that content can be created and used if the children are under 14 and a significant part of the paid content.
Children appearing regularly in monetized content between the ages of 14 and 17 would have a portion of the money earned set aside for them, and specific records must be created and retained on the child’s work until they turn 21.
And once a child turns 14, they would have the right to request the content in which they appear be permanently deleted.
“This legislation recognizes that the digital economy that we live in has created new forms of work involving children. And our laws should evolve to ensure that our children are treated fairly and protected from exploitation,” Sen. Walley said on the Senate floor. “This bill will update our Tennessee law to address an issue that simply didn’t exist when most of our child labor protections were written, that is the rise of monetized social media content featuring children.”
He further elaborated, “This bill ensures that when a child meaningfully participates in monetized online content, that child receives basic protections similar to those long-provided [to] child performers in our traditional media…Importantly, it also provides young people with control over their digital identity.”
The Senate voted 29-2 in favor of the bill, sending it to the House which voted unanimously 92-0 to pass it. With both chambers approving the legislation, SB1469 has now been transmitted to the Governor for his signature into law.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
