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Junior Maker Legal Guide

A plain-language look at what parents should know when their kid runs a cottage food business on Koti.

First, the good news: running a cottage food business on Koti is straightforward. Your child bakes, you hold the permit, customers buy cookies. That part is simple and well-covered by existing cottage food laws.

Where things get more nuanced is when you start promoting your junior maker on social media and that content starts generating its own income. That's where newer laws like California's SB 764 come in. Here's what you need to know.

What are SB 764 and AB 1880?

In 2024, California signed SB 764 (the California Child Content Creator Act) into law. It extends protections similar to the Coogan Act (which protects child actors) to minors who appear in monetized online content.

AB 1880 (signed in 2024, effective 2026) goes further: it requires that a portion of earnings from content featuring a minor be set aside in a trust (a "Coogan-style" blocked trust account) for the child.

In plain English: if you make money from social media content that features your kid, some of that money legally belongs to your kid.

Which states have similar laws?

As of early 2026, four states have enacted or are actively pursuing child content creator protections:

  • California — SB 764 (2024) + AB 1880 (effective 2026). Most comprehensive.
  • Illinois — Amended Child Labor Law (2024) to include minors in monetized online content.
  • Minnesota — Child influencer law (2024) with trust requirements.
  • Utah — Minor monetized content protections (under consideration, modeled on CA).

More states are expected to follow. We'll update this page as laws evolve.

When does this actually apply to me?

The key trigger is monetized content featuring a minor. Specifically:

The law likely applies if: your minor child appears in 30% or more of your monetized content within a 30-day period, AND that content earns $1,250 or more per month (the threshold varies by state).

"Monetized content" means posts that earn income through ad revenue, brand sponsorships, affiliate links, or platform creator funds — not sales of your actual products.

Koti storefront vs. social media promotion

This is the important distinction:

✅ Selling on Koti

Your child's cottage food business. Revenue comes from selling cookies, bread, or jam. This is commerce, not content. Cottage food laws apply. Child content laws generally do not.

Promoting on social media

TikToks, Instagram Reels, YouTube videos featuring your child baking. If this content is monetized (ads, sponsorships, creator fund), child content laws may apply.

What Koti is (and isn't)

Koti is a commerce platform, not a content platform.

When your child sells cookies on Koti, that's a transaction — the same as selling at a farmers market booth. Koti doesn't host, monetize, or distribute content featuring minors. We don't run ads against your shop page. We don't pay for views or engagement.

The legal obligations around child content creation arise from what you do outside of Koti — on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc. — to promote the business. That's entirely your decision, and we want you to make it informed.

Our recommendations

  1. Selling on Koti? Go for it. Your cottage food permit covers this, and you're building something amazing with your kid.
  2. Posting about it on social? That's great too. Just be aware of the thresholds. Casual posts about your kid's baking are not the same as a monetized content operation.
  3. Making real money from content? If your social content featuring your junior maker starts generating significant income (brand deals, ad revenue, creator fund payouts), consult a family law attorney in your state about trust requirements.
  4. Not sure? When in doubt, talk to a lawyer. This page is informational, not legal advice.

Read the actual laws

We believe in transparency. Here are the bills themselves:

  • California SB 764 — Child Content Creator Act (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  • California AB 1880 — Trust requirements for minor content creators (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  • Illinois Child Labor Law Amendment — HB 2535 (2024) (ilga.gov)
  • Minnesota SF 2958 — Child influencer protections (revisor.mn.gov)
We're rooting for your junior maker

Family operations are the heart of cottage food. We built this feature because kids who bake, jar, and create deserve a real platform. We've got your back — and we want you informed.

Start a Family Operation

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently. Consult an attorney licensed in your state for advice specific to your situation. Last updated March 2026.