In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment has said it wants to create a new hotline for suspicions of child labour, prompted by the ongoing popularity and success of family influencer vlogs, NL Times reports.
During an appearance on the television show Kassa, State Secretary Dennis Wiersma reportedly said that there have been growing concerns about family vlog channels on social media that use children to advertise products.
On some family vlog channels, children participate to help their parents advertise sponsored content. The hotline would allow viewers to report instances where they suspect child labour.
"If someone gets a 10 per cent discount if he or she shows their [child] in a t-shirt from a certain brand that is not a problem," Mr Wiersma said.
The State Secretary explained that the government intends to tackle cases where children are systematically used to make revenue through advertising. Mr Wiersma said a waiver is needed to use children for such commercial purposes.
However, intervening in this form of child labour is difficult, according to the Inspection for Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) because of 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 allows for legal loopholes when it comes to child labour, according to the State Secretary.
France has an existing law that prevents the exploitation of children on the internet. "We try to follow the example of France," Mr Wiersma said.
Source: NL TimesIn the Netherlands, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment has said it wants to create a new hotline for suspicions of child labour, prompted by the ongoing popularity and success of family influencer vlogs, NL Times reports.
During an appearance on the television show Kassa, State Secretary Dennis Wiersma reportedly said that there have been growing concerns about family vlog channels on social media that use children to advertise products.
On some family vlog channels, children participate to help their parents advertise sponsored content. The hotline would allow viewers to report instances where they suspect child labour.
"If someone gets a 10 per cent discount if he or she shows their [child] in a t-shirt from a certain brand that is not a problem," Mr Wiersma said.
The State Secretary explained that the government intends to tackle cases where children are systematically used to make revenue through advertising. Mr Wiersma said a waiver is needed to use children for such commercial purposes.
However, intervening in this form of child labour is difficult, according to the Inspection for Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) because of 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 allows for legal loopholes when it comes to child labour, according to the State Secretary.
France has an existing law that prevents the exploitation of children on the internet. "We try to follow the example of France," Mr Wiersma said.
Source: NL Times