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On Jan. 25, the Florida legislature approved a bill that bans social media for all minors under 16 years of age. The State Senate is now considering the bi-partisan legislation; should the chamber pass it, the bill will head to Governor DeSantis for final adoption.
This proposed law raises essential questions about finding a balance between keeping young people safe from social media risks and considering the incomes of young influencers who depend on these platforms.
If passed, the social media ban could have widespread financial effects, especially for influencers and their families. Numerous children under 16 use social media as a platform and earn money from it.
In an article written for FastCompany by Pavithra Mohan, she mentions, “My kid is an Instagram Influencer. Here’s what I do with her money.” These child influencers, who can be as young as two years old, are being paid at least $100 per 1,000 followers for a sponsored post. They may earn $15,000 or more for a single post if their viewership is in the millions.
In the article, Mohan interviews three parents and explains what they do with the income their child makes to ensure their kid isn’t spoiled.
A mother interviewed said, “Putting all the influencer money toward Norah’s future was an easy decision. Their earnings are “relatively not a ton of money,” according to Krejci, but amount to about $10,000 a month. “All that money goes into [Norah’s] own account.”
Another family says, “We don’t need to dip into her accounts.” The families put aside the money for a separate account for their children when they age.
Most children with access to social media and technology are not their families’ only source of income. Therefore, if this bill is passed, it will financially benefit the families. However, a lot of children will lose the chance to earn money.
All influencer’s profits that are under 18 still get taxed. They still have to pay income taxes.
Without this income, some influencers under 16 must find another way to earn money, such as getting a typical job.
Social media is a passion for a lot of these young influencers. They love to make videos, express their opinions, show off their styles, etc. The passing of this bill will take away something that they love.
Many influencers spend most of their day on social media, planning what they will post and what they want to do. Without it, all their hard work and accounts that they worked so hard to build will go to waste.
Although there are worries about the safety of children being on social media, it’s essential to have young influencers because they can express their creativity.
