Utah Enacts Landmark Law Protecting Children in Online Content

The legislation, inspired by the Ruby Franke abuse case, mandates financial safeguards for minors and allows adults to erase childhood content from social media.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a new law requiring parents to set aside 15% of earnings from content featuring children into a trust accessible at age 18.
The law allows adults to remove digital content they were featured in as minors, a provision aimed at protecting privacy and autonomy.
Ruby Franke and her associate Jodi Hildebrandt were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after severe child abuse was uncovered in 2023.
Franke's ex-husband Kevin and youngest daughter Eve publicly supported the legislation, emphasizing the need to prevent child exploitation in content creation.
The case has reignited scrutiny of the family vlogging industry, with Utah joining states like Illinois and Minnesota in regulating child influencer earnings and privacy.