Brazil implements Digital ECA rules for child influencers

Brazil's Digital ECA (Law No. 15.211/2025) has introduced new regulations regarding child and adolescent influencers on social media. Effective as of March 17, 2026, the law and its accompanying Decree No. 12.880/2026 aim to provide protections similar to those applied to child artistic labor in television and traditional advertising.

Under these rules, social media platforms that monetize or promote content habitually featuring the image or routine of a minor must require prior judicial authorization from legal guardians. The regulation does not prohibit children from appearing on social media or classify all family photos as child labor; instead, it targets recurring commercial participation, such as advertisements, sponsored campaigns, and monetized videos.

Legal experts note that parental consent alone is no longer sufficient when a child's intimacy and routine sustain a commercial activity. The law emphasizes that the best interests of the child must guide content creation, exposure time, and remuneration. Data from the TIC Kids Online Brasil 2025 study highlights the scale of this issue, noting that 84% of internet users aged 11 to 17 have seen brand promotions, yet only 54% can distinguish sponsored content from regular posts.