Lower Saxony pushes for stricter rules for child influencers

Germany's Lower Saxony is advocating for a significant update to its child labor laws, specifically targeting the burgeoning world of child influencers. The state's Ministry of Labor argues that the current Youth Work Protection Act, dating back to 1976, is ill-equipped to handle the commercialization of children's images on social media platforms.

Minister Andreas Philippi stated that substantial money is being made from featuring children online, but their rights are not adequately protected. He is urging the federal government to amend the law. The goal is to empower supervisory authorities to enforce necessary labor protection measures for activities on social media.

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With the depiction of children in social media, a lot of money is made and children's rights are not sufficiently protected here.

The ministry highlighted a disconnect between the law and current practices. While many instances of children appearing in commercial photos and videos on influencer accounts should legally require permits as a form of employment, very few applications for such work on social media are being submitted. This loophole leaves children vulnerable, prompting Lower Saxony's push for regulatory reform.

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I call on the federal government to create the conditions in the Youth Work Protection Act so that the responsible supervisory authorities can legally implement the necessary work protection measures also for activities on social media.