Do social-media child stars "work"?
Teenager Piper Rockelle and her friends created a multimillion-dollar YouTube empire. A lawsuit threatens it, and ask questions about whether what young influencers do for a living constitutes "work."
Headlines From The Times · Shani O. Hilton, Mike Heflin, Mark Nieto, Mario Diaz, Nicolas Perez, Helen Li, Roberto Reyes, Kinsee Morlan, David Toledo Diaz, Denise Guerra, Kasia Broussalian, Ashlea Brown, Heba Elorbany, Gustavo Arellano, Amy Kaufman, Jessica Gelt, Jazmín Aguilera
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pscrb.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Teenager Piper Rockelle and her friends created a multimillion-dollar YouTube empire. A lawsuit threatens it, and brings up questions about whether what young influencers do for a living constitutes “work.”
Today, we examine the history of child labor laws in California, and what might happen in this digital age. Read the full transcript here.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guests: L.A. Times senior entertainment reporter Amy Kaufman, and L.A. Times arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt
More reading:
Inside the blockbuster lawsuit threatening one teen YouTube star’s multimillion-dollar empire
Column: Social media platforms must stop the exploitation of child performers. Now
Who’s protecting social media’s child stars? Inside the lawsuit against one YouTuber’s empire