This week, ITV News published a story highlighting a growing issue in the world of influencer marketing: the lack of formal protections for children who feature in monetised social media content. Our co-founder Beckii shared her personal experience of being a child YouTuber and spoke about the urgent need for change. You can read the full article by Sarah Toner, here.

👉 If you work in or around the creator economy, we would love you to take a few minutes to fill out this short survey. Your input will help us understand the current landscape and support the push for better safeguarding measures for young people in online content.

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Beckii started her career on YouTube at the age of 12. At the time, there were no guidelines or support systems for young creators, and certainly no policies to help families navigate what it meant to share a child's life with thousands, sometimes millions, of followers. As Beckii explains in the ITV article, she had little understanding of what being in the public eye would mean long term. Looking back, she describes the experience as surreal, realising only as an adult just how much of her childhood played out in front of strangers online.

Many former child creators are now speaking up about the emotional and practical consequences of growing up on camera. While family content continues to grow in popularity, it remains one of the least regulated spaces in media. That is a major concern for anyone who cares about children's safety and wellbeing.
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Why are we doing this?
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At Pepper, we believe the creator economy has matured to the point where it can no longer ignore its responsibilities to young people. The children who appear in content are often central to its success, yet the systems to protect them have not kept up. There are currently no legal guidelines in the UK to cover their rights, their income, or their digital consent.
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That’s why we’ve launched the Responsible Kidfluence Pledge — a Pepper initiative spearheaded by co-founder Beckii Flint, a former child influencer and Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree. As an award-winning, creator-first marketing agency, we’re committed to raising standards across the social media industry.
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This mission is deeply personal to Beckii, whose lived experience growing up online has shaped a strong belief: that creativity should never come at the expense of wellbeing — especially for children.
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The Responsible Kidfluence Pledge is designed to be a collaborative and evolving resource for the entire industry. Our goal is to help establish clear, compassionate standards for how children are involved in online content, with input and support from brands, agencies, talent managers and parents.
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By working together, we can build a healthier, safer digital environment for the next generation growing up in public.

We are working across the industry to ensure this pledge reflects the real-world experiences of child creators, and supports them more thoughtfully and responsibly.
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What are the risks?
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As highlighted in the ITV article, Beckii's own early success quickly moved beyond the screen into real-world fame. She was signed to a management company, landed commercial campaigns, and even became part of a Japanese pop group. At just 13, she was pressured to pose in a bikini for a photoshoot, reflecting the wider industry expectations placed on young performers. Her family refused, but not every child has the same support system.
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Today, similar pressures exist for children of family vloggers and influencers. Many are the driving force behind hugely profitable content, yet there are no laws around how long they can be filmed, how their income is managed, or whether they have a say in how their lives are shared online.
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Although the Online Safety Act has improved protections for children as viewers, it does not currently cover children who create content or appear in monetised posts. The government has acknowledged the risks but has not yet introduced specific regulation. By contrast, states like California have already passed laws requiring a portion of a child influencer's earnings to be placed in trust, and have extended child labour protections to cover digital content.
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In the UK, progress has been slower. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee called for stronger laws back in 2022, but no action has been taken. We believe the absence of guidance has created an environment where children can be overworked, underpaid, and exposed to serious long-term risks.

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Summary: What We’re Working Towards

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Our goal is to create a practical, evidence-informed framework for safeguarding children in influencer content. This will be built on the experiences and insights of those who know the industry best - creators, parents, agencies, brands and platforms.
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By listening to both the successes and challenges faced by professionals on all sides, we hope to shape an approach that supports creativity and opportunity, while putting children’s rights, wellbeing and consent first.
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📝 If you are part of the creator economy, please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey. Your perspective is essential to helping us build a safer, more thoughtful future for children in digital media.
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Thank you for standing with us.

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