Proposed Illinois law lets child social media influencers keep the money

CHICAGO - Parents are worried about protecting their children from the dangers of social media. But now, two Illinois lawmakers want to protect children on social media from their parents.

State senators Dave Koehler from Peoria and Linda Holmes from Aurora, along with high school student Shreya Nallomothu, want to make sure that kids who appear on monetized social media keep the earnings.

The legislators are proposing a bill similar to the Jackie Coogan Law, giving child labor law protection to minors under 16, who appear in online content.

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"Child influencers are essentially kids who are forced to be featured in videos by their parents to rake in more views and more money. Although traditional actors in Illinois have legislation in place to protect their rightful earnings, I learned that there is nothing in place for child influencers," Nallomothu said.

The proposed law would also let people request content made when they were minors to be deleted when they're 18.