Demi Lovato teams up with California governor to safeguard child stars

Young influencers, singers, dancers, actors – children and teenagers have been a part of the broad concept of showbiz for years. However, their work is not always appropriately compensated, and their rights are not always respected. Increasingly, there is talk of Hollywood's abuse towards children. Among those speaking out is Jennette McCurdy, a Nickelodeon star and author of the book "I'm Glad My Mom Died", in which she brutally honestly describes her life in Hollywood. Politicians and actors who went through childhood in Hollywood are increasingly discussing the need to protect the youngest.

American actress and singer Demi Lovato is the director of the film "Child Star," which examines the careers of child stars and their impact on their lives. The production includes Alyson Stoner, JoJo Siwa, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Kenan Thompson, and Raven-Symoné. The film tells the story of child artists, beginning with Jackie Coogan, one of Hollywood's first child stars. Coogan was also the first to fight for his rights and money – the actor sued his mother and stepfather for misappropriating his earnings.

However, Lovato did not stop at merely producing the film. On 26 September 2024, the artist met with California Governor Gavin Newsom. The issue of protecting children's rights in the digital age was discussed during the meeting. Gavin Newsom also signed two bills to "protect young social media influencers and ensure that children and teenagers appearing on online platforms are safeguarded from financial exploitation."

During the meeting, Gavin Newsom stated: "A lot has changed since Hollywood’s early days, but here in California, our laser focus on protecting kids from exploitation remains the same. In old Hollywood, child actors were exploited. In 2024, it’s now child influencers. Today, that modern exploitation ends through two new laws to protect young influencers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms."

Demi Lovato added: "In order to build a better future for the next generation of child stars, we need to put protections in place for minors working in the digital space. I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for taking action with this update to the Coogan Law that will ensure children featured on social media are granted agency when they come of age and are properly compensated for the use of their name and likeness."

The bills signed by Gavin Newsom provide tangible protection for child stars. The first, SB 764, "establishes financial and legal protections for minors featured in monetized online content (e.g., child vloggers) by mandating their parent or guardian set aside a percentage of their earnings in trust accounts." The second bill, AB 1880, expands the existing Coogan Law to include child digital creators, e.g., influencers.

The new regulations have been met with approval from the SAG-AFTRA actors' union. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director of SAG-AFTRA, commented in an interview with "CNN": "We are grateful that protections now existing for child performers – protections we helped secure long ago – will be expanded to cover content creators and influencers. Regardless of medium or platform, all child performers must be strongly protected."