{"id":14840,"date":"2025-04-24T11:30:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T16:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/?p=14840"},"modified":"2025-04-24T11:30:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T16:30:38","slug":"how-one-california-law-is-causing-an-influencer-exodus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/2025\/04\/24\/how-one-california-law-is-causing-an-influencer-exodus\/","title":{"rendered":"How One California Law is Causing an Influencer Exodus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Bianca Ortalano, Senior Editor<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Photo courtesy of Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Since the birth of Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok, people have found a way to use social media to support themselves.1<\/a><\/sup> The Influencer industry is worth an estimated $250 billion dollars today, with this figure expected to double by 2027.2<\/a><\/sup> The abundance of opportunity and accessibility to the industry allows anyone to try their hand at influencing without the need for fancy equipment or sponsorships early on. Although becoming a nano-influencer (1,000-10,000 followers) or micro-influencer (10,000-100,000) may be easily attainable, few reach the level of a mega-influencer, amassing over one million followers.3<\/a><\/sup> Influencers such as Mr. Beast, the Paul Brothers, Addison Rae, or Mark Rober have found themselves to be a household name.4<\/a><\/sup> But another type of influencer has been rapidly gaining in popularity\u2014the family vlogger.5<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family vloggers document \u201ctheir daily life through video blogs and posts,\u201d with content frequently involving \u201cprank videos, pregnancy and gender reveal announcements, product reviews, and family updates, as well as sponsored content earning thousands of dollars per month.\u201d6<\/a><\/sup> Despite the success of many family influencers, an inherent danger unique to this style of influencing is the threat of exploitation of children. Oftentimes children\u2019s privacy and autonomy is violated for the sake of \u201centertainment.\u201d7<\/a><\/sup> Some family vloggers go even further and end up abusing the children their very platform was built upon, with several parents having been arrested following the exposure of their abuse.8<\/a><\/sup> For example Machelle Hobson of the \u201cFantastic Adventures\u201d Youtube channel was arrested in 2019 for abusing and torturing her seven adopted children.9<\/a><\/sup> This abuse included \u201clocking the children in a closet for multiple days and violent beatings,\u201d punishing them for the channel\u2019s subpar performance.10<\/a><\/sup> Ruby Franke, another family vlogger with a large following, was arrested in August of 2023 for child abuse.11<\/a><\/sup> Ruby allegedly tied up her children, forced them to do manual labor in the hot sun without water or shoes, and forced or coerced her daughter to jump into a cactus several times.12<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to these vloggers\u2019 fall from fame, they seemed like any other family. But abuse is not always physical nor is it always apparent\u2014parental financial abuse is a complex issue where parents use money to take advantage over their children who are often minors.13<\/a><\/sup> Financial abuse may be difficult to identify due to its \u201cinvisible\u201d nature and the common lack of understanding and minimal access to finances that children hold.14<\/a><\/sup> Despite the recent development of family vloggers, the monetization and exploitation of children is nothing new in the entertainment industry.15<\/a><\/sup> One California law, however, is attempting to stop child financial abuse and exploitation.16<\/a><\/sup> Cal Fam Code \u00a7 6752 dictates that employers of minors who are involved in entertainment contracts shall set aside 15% of that minor\u2019s gross earnings to be held in trust for the benefit of that minor.17<\/a><\/sup> At first glance, this statute appears to be doing exactly as it intended to\u2014stop financial exploitation. However, \u00a7 6752 also assigns the role of trustee to at least one of the child\u2019s parents or legal guardians.18<\/a><\/sup> Therefore, the person that holds the most power over the child is still the one entrusted with the child\u2019s earnings. There are additional guidelines in place, such as requiring an annual accounting of the trust and imparting fiduciary responsibilities on the trustee, but there is still leeway in the rule that can help facilitate further abuse.19<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these safeguards in place, eagle-eyed fans have noticed a concerning trend in influencers moving out of California just as this statute took effect.20<\/a><\/sup> The timing of family influencers fleeing the state raises the question of whether or not this California statute was the last straw. Some of these influencers include Brittany Xavier and Savannah and Cole Labrant, with both families leaving California behind for a new life in Tennessee.21<\/a><\/sup> Xavier began her social media presence as a fashion blogger before turning her focus to family content creation.22<\/a><\/sup> Xavier also cites health concerns after discovering mold in her California home as the reason for her quick move.23<\/a><\/sup> In comparison, the Labrant family\u2019s move to Tennessee did occur prior to the enactment of \u00a7 6752.24<\/a><\/sup> But the family finds themselves experiencing similar rumors after explaining that their move was based on wanting a \u201cslower pace of life.\u201d25<\/a><\/sup> Regardless of their true motivations, the recent migratory behaviors of influencers invites skepticism regarding the effectiveness of \u00a7 6752 in protecting minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a7 6752 itself was enacted to fill the gap left by the Coogan Law.26<\/a><\/sup> The Coogan Law, named after child actor Jackie Coogan, first went into effect in California in 1939.27<\/a><\/sup> Jackie was a very popular child actor in the 1920\u2019s, finding fame in Charlie Chaplin\u2019s film \u201cThe Kid.\u201d28<\/a><\/sup> After turning 21 years old and discovering that his mother stole all of his earnings, Jackie sued his mother and his manager.29<\/a><\/sup> Prior to Jackie\u2019s lawsuit, under California law, a minor\u2019s earnings belonged only to their parents.30<\/a><\/sup> Jackie\u2019s activism in protecting himself led to the creation of the Coogan Law, which is very similar to that of \u00a7 6752 but was not very effective in its preliminary form due to many loopholes that individuals could take advantage of.31<\/a><\/sup> Even after several iterations, the Coogan Law still excluded content creators from its list of protected individuals, which \u00a7 6752 specifically targets given the rise in influencer careers.32<\/a><\/sup> Since the Coogan Law’s initial adoption, comparable laws have popped up in New York, Illinois, Louisiana, and New Mexico with each state requiring different trust accounts to be opened and other thresholds to be met.33<\/a><\/sup> Like most laws, there is still room for improvement and greater protections for minors in the entertainment industry\u2014especially those involved in influencing or family vlogging. But Cal Fam Code \u00a7 6752 is a step in the right direction, allowing kids to keep what they earn and holding greedy parents at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. \u00a0Matt Craig, Zoya Hasan, Alexandra S. Levine, and Alexandra York, The creator economy is growing fast\u2014and growing up, Forbes, (March 4, 2025), https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/stevenbertoni\/2024\/10\/28\/top-creators-2024-the-influencers-turning-buzz-into-billions\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. \u00a0Kristen Bousquet, What’s An Influencer And How Can I Make Money As One?, Forbes, (July 14, 2024), https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kristenbousquet\/article\/how-to-become-an-influencer\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. \u00a0Matt Craig, Zoya Hasan, Alexandra S. Levine, and Alexandra York, The creator economy is growing fast\u2014and growing up, Forbes, (March 4, 2025), https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/stevenbertoni\/2024\/10\/28\/top-creators-2024-the-influencers-turning-buzz-into-billions\/<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  5. \u00a0Rachel Caitlin Abrams, Family Influencing in the Best Interests of the Child, Chicago Journal of International Law, 99 (Summer 2023), https:\/\/cjil.uchicago.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-06\/2ChiJIntlLOnline97.pdf<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  6. \u00a0Id. <\/em>at 99-100 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  7. \u00a0Id. <\/em>at 100 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  8. \u00a0Id. <\/em>at 99 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  9. \u00a0Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  10. \u00a0Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  11. \u00a0Mattea Bubalo, Who is Ruby Franke, the parenting influencer jailed for child abuse?, BBC, (Feb. 21, 2024), https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-66719859<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  12. \u00a0Kerry Breen, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt sentenced to up to 30 years in prison in child abuse case, CBS News, (Feb. 20, 2024), https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/ruby-franke-jodi-hildebrandt-sentenced-child-abuse-youtube-eight-passengers\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  13. \u00a0Rachel Salmon, October 2022: Financial Abuse in a Child\/Parent Relationship, Syracuse University, (Oct. 17, 2022), https:\/\/financialaid.syr.edu\/financialliteracy\/2022\/10\/17\/october-2022-financial-abuse-in-a-child-parent-relationship\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  14. \u00a0Outreach Team, What is Financial Child Abuse?, Dawson Place, (Nov. 4, 2021), https:\/\/www.dawsonplace.org\/what-is-financial-child-abuse\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  15. \u00a0Jessica Krieg, THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS: CHILD ENTERTAINERS AND THE LAW, U. PA. JOURNAL OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW, (2004), https:\/\/scholarship.law.upenn.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1173&context=jbl<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  16. \u00a0Cal. Fam. Code \u00a7 6752 (Deering) \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  17. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  18. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  19. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  20. \u00a0Konstancija Gasaityt\u0117, “Girl, we know why you left.\u201d Is this the real reason influencers flee California?, Cybernews, (Feb. 21, 2025), https:\/\/cybernews.com\/editorial\/child-content-creator-law-california-influencers\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  21. \u00a0Rebecca Jennings, Are Family Vloggers Really Leaving California to Avoid Paying Their Kids?, Vulture, (March 5, 2025), https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/article\/family-vloggers-california-child-labor-laws.html<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  22. \u00a0Simran Pasricha, Are Family Vloggers Leaving California To Escape New Child Labour Laws? TikTok Thinks So, Pedestrian, (Feb. 26, 2025), https:\/\/www.pedestrian.tv\/online\/family-vloggers-leaving-california\/<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  23. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  24. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  25. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  26. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  27. \u00a0Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Coogan Law, SAG AFTRA, https:\/\/www.sagaftra.org\/membership-benefits\/young-performers\/coogan-law<\/a> (last visited April 18, 2025). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  28. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  29. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  30. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  31. Id.<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  32. Simran Pasricha, Are Family Vloggers Leaving California To Escape New Child Labour Laws? TikTok Thinks So, Pedestrian, (Feb. 26, 2025), https:\/\/www.pedestrian.tv\/online\/family-vloggers-leaving-california\/<\/a> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  33. Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Coogan Law, SAG AFTRA, https:\/\/www.sagaftra.org\/membership-benefits\/young-performers\/coogan-law<\/a> (last visited April 18, 2025). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By: Bianca Ortalano, Senior Editor Since the birth of Youtube, Instagram, and Tiktok, people have found a way to use social media to support themselves. The Influencer industry is worth an estimated $250 billion dollars today, with this figure expected to double by 2027. The abundance of opportunity and accessibility [\u2026] <\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"\u00a0Matt Craig, Zoya Hasan, Alexandra S. Levine, and Alexandra York, The creator economy is growing fast\u2014and growing up, Forbes, (March 4, 2025), https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/stevenbertoni\/2024\/10\/28\/top-creators-2024-the-influencers-turning-buzz-into-billions\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"993942c3-565d-49ee-be44-ef6c4371a378\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"c7760d2e-e37a-4ed4-9346-450e721946ad\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Kristen Bousquet, What's An Influencer And How Can I Make Money As One?, Forbes, (July 14, 2024), https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kristenbousquet\/article\/how-to-become-an-influencer\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"28f4e103-d15e-4815-bdcd-4f9f1d030e58\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Matt Craig, Zoya Hasan, Alexandra S. Levine, and Alexandra York, The creator economy is growing fast\u2014and growing up, Forbes, (March 4, 2025), https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/stevenbertoni\/2024\/10\/28\/top-creators-2024-the-influencers-turning-buzz-into-billions\/<\/a>\",\"id\":\"c01334fe-2999-49de-bee9-e1c696f8a0b6\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Rachel Caitlin Abrams, Family Influencing in the Best Interests of the Child, Chicago Journal of International Law, 99 (Summer 2023), https:\/\/cjil.uchicago.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-06\/2ChiJIntlLOnline97.pdf<\/a>\",\"id\":\"32cb506b-f978-4c95-be3f-450c9aeeca14\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Id. <\/em>at 99-100\",\"id\":\"8433c01c-490d-44f0-b6de-3f99b20a3cef\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Id. <\/em>at 100\",\"id\":\"591a51e3-614b-4037-831e-c53c65ef9ccd\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Id. <\/em>at 99\",\"id\":\"186d3704-18f1-4d20-8a49-c84e7d8c28e9\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"55db3c9a-d482-4239-a7ef-5115039c21b6\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"8a58bb53-3105-496c-8509-746ebb31a8c7\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Mattea Bubalo, Who is Ruby Franke, the parenting influencer jailed for child abuse?, BBC, (Feb. 21, 2024), https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-66719859<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"13993d21-1cf7-4701-8835-e1a70ea8c7bf\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Kerry Breen, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt sentenced to up to 30 years in prison in child abuse case, CBS News, (Feb. 20, 2024), https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/ruby-franke-jodi-hildebrandt-sentenced-child-abuse-youtube-eight-passengers\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"084beb71-c493-4014-a061-fe861563fb40\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Rachel Salmon, October 2022: Financial Abuse in a Child\/Parent Relationship, Syracuse University, (Oct. 17, 2022), https:\/\/financialaid.syr.edu\/financialliteracy\/2022\/10\/17\/october-2022-financial-abuse-in-a-child-parent-relationship\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"985c2090-b402-4c7e-b37e-d883521bd7b6\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Outreach Team, What is Financial Child Abuse?, Dawson Place, (Nov. 4, 2021), https:\/\/www.dawsonplace.org\/what-is-financial-child-abuse\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"6e032344-ba6c-45f6-9080-e1a21f259393\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Jessica Krieg, THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS: CHILD ENTERTAINERS AND THE LAW, U. PA. JOURNAL OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW, (2004), https:\/\/scholarship.law.upenn.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1173&context=jbl<\/a>\",\"id\":\"b4872ded-64f2-4d4c-90ac-fdbb3f841402\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Cal. Fam. Code \u00a7 6752 (Deering)\",\"id\":\"7f7575dc-347d-4354-8295-4e38b3eddce7\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"b4fd9268-f04d-46f5-8cf2-dacf1115fc9d\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"f72f196e-84ba-45f1-8406-d0f137c063b2\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"006b1313-1809-460b-a2c7-7fc476dbad75\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Konstancija Gasaityt\u0117, \\\"Girl, we know why you left.\u201d Is this the real reason influencers flee California?, Cybernews, (Feb. 21, 2025), https:\/\/cybernews.com\/editorial\/child-content-creator-law-california-influencers\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"6d31f38e-3812-428b-bc15-4773f6bd3d4d\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Rebecca Jennings, Are Family Vloggers Really Leaving California to Avoid Paying Their Kids?, Vulture, (March 5, 2025), https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/article\/family-vloggers-california-child-labor-laws.html<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"b7be09f0-c6d9-43ce-8444-53d1f0dfc8a2\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Simran Pasricha, Are Family Vloggers Leaving California To Escape New Child Labour Laws? TikTok Thinks So, Pedestrian, (Feb. 26, 2025), https:\/\/www.pedestrian.tv\/online\/family-vloggers-leaving-california\/<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"3fa377dc-3334-4084-9a7d-51be584b0560\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"55d2acd2-2652-42e8-81f1-004d86e5ac6f\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"79976943-f5d9-40f6-808c-99f47760daa8\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"6b3ceccf-ba63-4a53-b999-6dad5d6fbbc8\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"2c07b495-50d8-4413-b4bd-29301264cfd8\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Coogan Law, SAG AFTRA, https:\/\/www.sagaftra.org\/membership-benefits\/young-performers\/coogan-law<\/a> (last visited April 18, 2025).\",\"id\":\"c12f121b-cc61-44a2-af7a-dc091875ad05\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"44436e3a-693a-4546-a014-49c4675e4120\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"ea0c1639-7802-4ce5-949a-0cd1b9ad91cc\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"844092db-7e88-4509-aa61-cd47e12bc4a8\"},{\"content\":\"Id.<\/em>\",\"id\":\"f18d19bf-08ca-45f4-beec-2068f7916044\"},{\"content\":\"Simran Pasricha, Are Family Vloggers Leaving California To Escape New Child Labour Laws? TikTok Thinks So, Pedestrian, (Feb. 26, 2025), https:\/\/www.pedestrian.tv\/online\/family-vloggers-leaving-california\/<\/a>\",\"id\":\"13dafb15-a8ed-4f8c-8e4f-f8d476373906\"},{\"content\":\"Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Coogan Law, SAG AFTRA, https:\/\/www.sagaftra.org\/membership-benefits\/young-performers\/coogan-law<\/a> (last visited April 18, 2025).\",\"id\":\"3eee193a-f8fd-4f53-9b07-4ab80420ee78\"}]"},"categories":[2092,7],"tags":[241,4001,4000,3999,39],"class_list":["post-14840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features-articles","category-juris-features","tag-child-abuse","tag-entertainment-law","tag-financial-abuse","tag-influencer","tag-social-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14842,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14840\/revisions\/14842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}