HB 418: Georgia Child Performer Empowerment and Protection Act; enact

Georgia law currently lets minors work in film, TV, modeling, and similar fields once the Commissioner of Labor gives written consent, but it does not require any of their earnings to be set aside for them. House Bill 418, called the Georgia Child Performer Empowerment and Protection Act, rewrites this part of state law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 2 of Title 39) to define 'child performer' broadly, covering traditional entertainment work and online content creation such as videos and vlogs featuring a minor. The bill requires a parent or guardian to open a blocked trust account for the child, into which at least 15 percent of the child's gross earnings must be deposited, held by a trust company until the minor turns 18 or is emancipated. Online content creators who feature minors must track and disclose earnings and set aside a share of those earnings too. The Department of Labor must investigate conditions before work starts and conduct site inspections, and the bill sets age-based limits on daily work hours and start and end times. Minors or their guardians can sue for violations and recover damages and attorney's fees. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Requires parents or guardians of child performers to establish a blocked trust account holding at least 15 percent of the minor's earnings until the minor turns 18 or is emancipated.
• Extends child labor protections to minors who work as online content creators, defined by how much of a monetized video features the minor's likeness, name, or image.
• Requires online content creators who feature minors to track and disclose earnings, viewing data, and trust account deposits, and to set aside a share of earnings for the minor.
• Directs the Commissioner of Labor to investigate work conditions, education impact, and scheduling compliance before approving a child performer's employment.
• Requires the Department of Labor to conduct periodic and unannounced inspections of places where child performers work.
• Sets age-based daily work-hour and time-of-day limits for child performers, ranging from a ban on working infants under 15 days old to an 8-hour daily cap for 16- and 17-year-olds.

Child performers and their parents or guardians, entertainment employers and production companies, online content creators who feature minors in monetized videos, trust companies that hold the blocked accounts, and the Georgia Department of Labor, which must investigate work conditions and inspect job sites.

Families of child performers, including those who earn money from online videos, would gain a guaranteed savings mechanism and stricter oversight of work schedules and conditions. Employers and content creators featuring minors would face new recordkeeping duties, deposit requirements, and potential lawsuits for noncompliance.

• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 39-2-18 to define terms like 'child performer,' 'blocked trust account,' and 'online content creator,' and requires the Commissioner of Labor to confirm education, health, and scheduling compliance before approving employment.
• Section 2 also requires the Department of Labor to conduct periodic, unannounced inspections of workplaces employing child performers.
• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 39-2-18.1, requiring at least 15 percent of a child performer's gross earnings to go into a blocked trust account held by a trust company until the minor turns 18 or is emancipated.
• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 39-2-18.2, setting a formula for when a minor counts as an online content creator (based on percentage of video content and views or compensation) and requiring earnings-sharing and recordkeeping by the content creator.
• Section 3 allows a minor or guardian to sue an online content creator who violates the earnings or recordkeeping requirements, recovering actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees.
• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 39-2-18.3, setting minimum work breaks and detailed hour and time-of-day limits by age group, from newborns to 17-year-olds, with limited exceptions the Commissioner of Labor may grant.
• Section 4 states the law takes effect immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.

1. 2025-02-18House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-13House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-12House Hopper (House)

• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)Primary sponsor
• Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-004)
• Long Tran (D, HD-080)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)

• child performers
• online content creators
• child labor law
• trust accounts
• entertainment industry regulation