Further providing for definitions and for employment of minors in a performance; and providing for employment of minors as content creators.
Summary
HB939 would amend Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Act to explicitly cover minors who earn money creating digital content. The bill adds definitions for “content creator,” “online content,” and “online platform,” and expands the existing definition of “perform” or “performance” to include modeling and acting as a content creator. It is aimed at minors who appear in monetized online videos, streams, podcasts, social media posts, and similar digital productions.
The bill also creates a new section governing minors employed as content creators. If a minor’s participation is substantial and compensated, and certain earnings thresholds are met, the bill requires the establishment of a child performer trust account or qualified tuition program. Employers would have to deposit at least 15% of compensation into that account, with special rules for short-term and longer-term work, and if no account is set up the money would be sent to the State Treasurer for the child’s benefit. The bill also sets rules for account administration, access to funds before age 18, and fiduciary oversight.
Impact
HB939 would expand the Child Labor Act to regulate a new category of child work in the digital economy and impose financial-protection requirements on parents, guardians, employers, and third parties who profit from minors’ online performances. It would create statutory duties for employers to withhold and transfer a portion of a minor’s earnings into protected accounts, and it would authorize the Office of State Treasurer to hold funds when no account has been established. The bill would also affect how child performer trust accounts are managed, including fiduciary administration and limits on early distributions.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a child-protection and earnings-preservation bill rather than a punitive labor restriction. Its sponsors are likely responding to concerns about minors being featured in monetized online content without the same financial safeguards that apply to traditional child performers. No formal vote history or transcript is available here, so there is no documented opposition or support to gauge beyond the bill’s protective purpose.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the scope of who counts as a “content creator,” the earnings and participation thresholds that trigger the law, and the administrative burden placed on families and online employers. The bill may also raise questions about how to enforce the 15% transfer requirement across varied digital platforms, how to handle payments routed through third parties, and whether the State Treasurer should serve as a default custodian when parents do not establish an account. Another possible issue is the balance between protecting minors’ earnings and allowing families flexibility in managing income from online work.
Further providing for definitions, for occupations and establishments, for employment of minors in a performance and for duties of employer; repealing provisions relating to work permit; and further providing for administration and for newspaper delivery.
Further providing for employment of minors in student-learner and apprenticeship programs; providing for a review of laws and regulations related to the employment of minors; and abrogating regulations.
In protection from abuse, further providing for definitions and for relief; and, in protection of victims of sexual violence or intimidation, further providing for definitions and for relief.