California proposes allowing former child influencers the ‘right to be forgotten’
One lawmaker in California wants the state’s child influencers to be able to have more control of their digital footprint.
Sen. Steve Padilla, D-Chula Vista, brought forward SB 1247, a bill that would allow adults whose parents benefited financially from paid social media content featuring them as children to request deletion of that content. If the law passes, social media platforms would need to create a mechanism by which former child influencers could request deletion. If the content is not deleted, the person in question would be able to sue the content creator.
Padilla said California law needs to keep up with the multi-billion dollar influencer economy.
“I’m old, so when I was a young boy, everybody was talking about: ‘I want to be a firefighter or a policeman or a doctor,’ ” he said during a news conference Wednesday. “Today: ‘I want to be a YouTuber.’ ”
Several celebrities and child influencers joined Padilla during the conference, including Alyson Stoner, an actor who began starring in films when they were 7 years old. Stoner said fame was a constant barrage of intrusions on their personal life.
“By 9, clips of me spread globally online, leading to thousands of comments openly debating my appearance, my talent and worth. I was 10 when internet predators and people in jail began targeting me for pedophilia and bail money,” Stoner told reporters. They said child influencers are facing similar mental health costs while their parents benefit.
SB 1247 would build on existing legislation Padilla has championed, specifically SB 764, which went into law in January 2025 and requires family vloggers to set aside money for the child featured in their content. Padilla has been a broad advocate for stronger protections for children online — having authored last year’s bill placing guardrails on chatbots’ conversations with minors and putting forward a bill this year that would put a moratorium on the manufacture and sale of AI-enhanced toys.
Camyi Barrett has been making content for several years talking about her experience being featured in her mother’s social media content.
“Everything my mom posted is still on social media, photos I wish never saw the light of day, details about my health, when I started my first menstrual cycle, even the name of my elementary school and the teachers I had,” she said.
Barrett said the right to be forgotten online is something she wishes someone had fought for her to have.
Utah passed a bill similar to Padilla’s proposal last year, and the movement comes amid a global discussion of what “right to be forgotten” adults have in the internet age.
The bill will be heard in the Senate’s new Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee in early April.
