In the U.S. state of Washington, lawmakers are considering a pioneering bill designed to protect the rights of children who regularly appear in their parents’ monetized videos. These family vlogs, often presented like home videos, have become a source of income for thousands of families, yet they are largely unregulated in terms of child labor and privacy.
Bill HB 2400 would require content creators based in Washington or with a substantial connection to the state who earn more than $12,000 a year to register with the state. The key innovation is a requirement to place a portion of earnings generated by a child’s participation in videos into a special trust account that the child can access only upon turning 18.
The bill’s sponsor is Christine Rolfes, Washington State Senate majority leader and senator for the 23rd Legislative District. As a senior legislator, she has the influence to advance significant initiatives. Rolfes says the law aims to address longstanding problems: exploitation of child labor, obtaining informed consent, and so-called “digital indelibility.” “This is our attempt to prevent situations like the Ruby Franke case in Washington state,” she explained, referring to the YouTuber from Utah who was convicted of child abuse.
Social platforms and advertisers connected to Washington would be responsible for creating these trust accounts and for annual reporting starting in 2027. That shifts some of the financial responsibility from parents to companies. The state has the authority to regulate the activities of global companies — such as Meta, TikTok and YouTube — that do business within its borders, setting requirements for data protection and content affecting state residents, especially in the absence of comprehensive federal regulation.
The bill would also give young people aged 18 to 23 the right to demand the complete removal of monetized content that featured them as children.
Some vloggers, while supporting the idea of protecting children, express concerns about practical implementation. They point to the difficulty of tracking exact earnings from a specific video and determining whether a child gave informed consent to filming. Business associations and tech company representatives also criticize the bill, objecting to placing responsibility on platforms for parents’ financial decisions.
Sponsor Christine Rolfes counters that children in family vlogs are essentially workers, comparing their situation to child actors in Hollywood, who are protected by strict labor laws. “These children work. They deserve the same protections,” she says. Negotiations with major platforms over contentious regulatory issues are currently underway.
This bill — the fourth attempt at similar regulation — is based on a simple fact: videos featuring children attract significantly more attention and views. “This law is grounded in the reality that children get more clicks,” Rolfes says. “That’s the part we cannot ignore.” Washington’s initiative is part of a national trend of states enacting their own digital-child safety laws while the U.S. Congress has yet to pass federal legislation. Washington has been one of the first states to act thanks to a combination of a strong tech sector, progressive political culture and legislators familiar with tech issues. Committee discussions continue, and the final form of the law may still change.
Based on: Lawmakers seek child labor protections in WA for family vlog content