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HB 1453

Social Media Platforms - Vloggers and Video Content Featuring Minors (Child Influencers Protection Act)

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Dylan Behler and 1 co-sponsor

Maryland bill establishing labor and earnings protections for minors featured in compensated social media video content and requiring platform accountability.

Hearing canceled
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 1453

Legislative bill overview

HB 1453 aims to establish protections and regulations for minors who appear in video content on social media platforms, commonly known as "child influencers." The bill would likely require parental consent, earnings protections, and platform accountability for content featuring children under a certain age threshold.

Why is this important

Child influencers generate substantial revenue while facing exploitation risks, inadequate labor protections, and potential long-term harm from early exposure. Current social media platforms lack clear legal obligations regarding minor creators, leaving children vulnerable to unfair compensation, inappropriate content requirements, and privacy violations.

Potential points of contention

  • Parental authority vs. child autonomy: Defining how much control parents should have over minor creators' earnings, image rights, and content decisions
  • Platform liability and enforcement: Whether social media companies should be held responsible for monitoring and enforcing protections, and how compliance would be verified
  • Defining "child influencer" scope: Disagreement over age thresholds, what constitutes compensated content, and how to distinguish between casual posting and professional content creation
  • Free speech and family vlogging: Concerns from families who share content online about government overreach into private family decisions and First Amendment implications
  • Interstate commerce challenges: Questions about how Maryland can regulate national/international platforms and whether federal legislation is more appropriate

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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