Colorado governor signs Steamboat Springs lawmaker’s bill to protect online ‘kidfluencers’
The measure was brought by Rep. Meghan Lukens, a social studies teacher-turned-legislator
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Robert Tann/Vail Daily
A bill signed Monday, May 4, by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis will establish new protections for children who appear in online monetized content, sometimes called “kidfluencers.”
House Bill 1058 requires parents or guardians to establish a trust fund for children younger than 18 who appear in digital content, allows those children — once adults — to remove that content, and enhances civil enforcement against child sexualization.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Meghan Lukens, a Steamboat Springs Democrat and high school social studies teacher. Lukens has championed several bills related to online safety and phone use for children, including a bill signed last year that requires Colorado schools to adopt district-wide student phone policies.
“In a digital age, we need to be doing more to prioritize the safety and financial security of children featured in online content, which is why this legislation is being signed into law,” Lukens said in a statement on HB 1058.
Other bill sponsors are Rep. Scott Slaugh, R-Berthoud, and Sens. Matt Ball, D-Denver, and Katie Wallace, D-Longmont.
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The new law, which takes effect on June 1, 2027, requires parents or guardians to establish a trust fund for children featured in online content if certain conditions are met. That includes content that generates $40,000 or more annually for the creator. The bill originally set that threshold at $15,000, but that was increased through an amendment.
Children would also need to be featured in at least 30% of the monetized content within a 30-day period, and that content would need to generate at least 10 cents per view in total compensation, including from sponsorships.
If those provisions are met, a child could receive 40% of the content’s gross earnings, while multiple children would have that 40% split evenly among them. The bill originally would have required 50% of gross earnings.
The law also allows adults who appeared in content as children to request that their information be removed. Social media platforms are required to provide a removal process request, and the content creator must comply within 72 hours. If a content creator does not comply after 30 days, they could be sued.
Additionally, the law allows for new civil lawsuits against content creators who knowingly sexualize children for financial gain.
The measure was supported by some of the world’s largest tech giants, including YouTube and TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture, the newly formed U.S.-owned branch of TikTok.
