UtahH.B. 3222025 General SessionHouseWALLET

Child Actor Regulations

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Adults can challenge childhood content online

Starting May 7, 2025, adults featured as qualifying or market value compensated minors can request deletion or editing through social media companies. Companies must offer a clear process and can request information to verify identity, age, and the content involved. Companies must notify creators within three business days; creators then have 10 business days to act or explain their decision. Companies must relay the response within three business days. Adults can sue creators who do not comply, and courts weigh emotional harm, serious embarrassment, creator interests, and public interest. If deletion is ordered, qualifying minors receive actual damages and reasonable costs and attorney fees; punitive damages and other lawful relief are also available. Market value compensated minors receive actual damages only for harm occurring after age 18. Their filing deadline is the later of three years after turning 18 or three years after knowing, or reasonably being expected to know, of the harm or embarrassment. For removal petitions, these rights override court-location, arbitration, and mediation terms in contracts with social media services made after May 7, 2025.

Children can track and enforce payments

Creators featuring qualifying children must keep monthly records of income, paid minutes, child earnings, paid content, and trust transfers. Records must also include each qualifying child’s name and age documentation. Creators must retain records for at least two years, tell children the records exist, and allow review on request. Covered individuals can sue employers or creators over missed trust transfers, parents over missing trusts or notices, and trustees over required trustee replacement. These cases can be brought up to five years after turning 18. Courts can award actual or punitive damages, other lawful relief, and reasonable costs and attorney fees. The qualifying-child trust lawsuit is unavailable when a court has approved a transfer exception. For qualifying-child contracts with creators made after May 7, 2025, these rights override terms governing court location, arbitration, or mediation.

Featured children receive online earnings shares

Each January 1, creators must check whether featured children qualified during the previous year. A qualifying child has an average monthly content share of at least 30%, and the creator earns at least $150,000 annually from content featuring that child. Represented and market value compensated minors are excluded from this payment system. Creators must send parents written notice stating the child’s pay within 15 business days, with an exception when the parent is the creator. If the stated pay totals at least $20,000, parents must establish a Uniform Transfers to Minors trust within 15 days after notice. Parents must provide transfer details unless they are the creator. Creators calculate monthly shares using formulas based on half the month’s income, paid minutes, and the number of qualifying children. Payment goes directly to the child, or into the trust once established, before the end of the month after income arrives.

Trusts protect young performers’ earnings

The law took effect May 7, 2025. Parents must establish a Uniform Transfers to Minors trust by January 30 when a performer earned at least $20,000 the previous year. They must give employers transfer details, except for market value compensated minors, whose parents count as employers for these rules. Employers must deposit 15% of gross earnings into the trust. For jobs lasting 30 days or less, deposits are due within 30 days after employment ends; otherwise, deposits follow regular pay dates. Parents serving as trustees cannot access the money, and beneficiaries gain access at 18. If the trust’s average monthly balance exceeds $250,000 for six straight months, the trustee must petition a court to appoint a trust company as successor trustee.

Young creators own their content earnings

Minors who create, produce, or publish their own social media content are entitled to all money it earns. A minor who is the sole creator and producer does not have to transfer those earnings into a trust.

Creators can seek alternative child payments

Creators can ask a court to replace the usual child-earnings formula when following it causes undue hardship. They must propose another payment plan and commit to a trust that meets the law’s requirements. The court must approve the exception only after finding both undue hardship and that the alternative serves the qualifying child’s best interest. This provides creator relief but replaces the child’s standard formula-based payment arrangement.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Doug Owens
Democratic • House

Cosponsors

Scott D. Sandall
Republican • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 112 • No: 12

Senate vote • 3/7/2025

Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension

Yes: 27 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/28/2025

Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation

Yes: 4 • No: 0

House vote • 2/24/2025

House/ passed 3rd reading

Yes: 57 • No: 12

House vote • 2/18/2025

House Comm - Substitute Recommendation

Yes: 12 • No: 0