Dutch gov’t wants to tighten rules about using children in influencer videos

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment said they want to create a new hotline for suspicions of child labor. State Secretary Dennis Wiersma said in the TV program Kassa there have been growing concerns about family vlog channels on social media that use children to advertise products.

In some family vlog channels, children help their parents advertise sponsored content. The hotline would allow for viewers to report instances where they suspect child labor.

"If someone gets a 10 percent discount if he or she shows their in a t-shirt from a certain brand that is not a problem," Wiersma said. The State Secretary that they intend to tackle cases where children are systematically used to make revenue through advertising. Wiersma said a waiver is needed to use children for such commercial purposes.

Intervening in this form of child labor is difficult, according to the Inspection for Social Affairs and Employment (SZW), due to the absence of a formal employer. "With young influencers, that often is not a clear relationship to employer or formal authority, but of a relationship between clients and advertisers. Current regulations usually do not provide the opportunity to hold clients accountable."

The lack of regulations leaves legal loopholes when it comes to child labor, according to Wiersma.

France already has a law that prevents the exploitation of children on the internet. "We try to follow the example of France," Wiersma said.