Where Is the Line? Children, Content, and the Courage to Act

JMM

In April, Tennessee passed Senate Bill 1469. The bill prohibits children under 14 from appearing in monetised online videos, and requires that a portion of earnings from content featuring older minors be held in trust until they turn 18. It is one of the most substantive pieces of child-focused digital legislation we have seen – and it asks a question that is long overdue: when does a child’s presence in content become something they deserve protection from?  

The digital economy has created entirely new forms of participation for children that our existing frameworks were never designed to address. A child appearing in a third of a family's sponsored content over a month is, in every meaningful sense, contributing to that family’s livelihood. Tennessee has had the clarity to say so directly.

This is not an isolated moment.

Australia moved first with landmark legislation requiring major platforms to restrict access for users under 16 from December 2025. France, Denmark, Malaysia, Norway, Spain and many others are working through similar measures. The direction is clear. 

The harms of unguarded digital exposure for children are well-documented. What is harder – and rarer– is acting on what we already know. 

At Tinybeans, this conversation is not abstract. It is the reason we were built. We started from the belief that a child's earliest moments belong to their family– not to an algorithm, not to an advertiser, and not to a public feed. That belief shapes every product decision we make.

Children deserve more than terms of service and algorithmic guardrails. They deserve products built with their protection as the starting point, not an afterthought.

Tennessee drew a line.

Australia drew one.

More will follow, and they should.

But legislation is a floor, not a ceiling. The companies building products that touch children's lives have a responsibility to lead, not wait. At Tinybeans, that responsibility is not a differentiator. That is the foundation. 

By Tracy Cho, Interim CEO Tinybeans

Tinybeans Group Limited (ASX:TNY, OTCQB: TNYYF) is a global privacy-first technology platform building trusted digital experiences for families. Founded in 2012, the Tinybeans platform operates on a premium subscription model, an e-commerce photo products store, and brand partnerships, serving ~95k paid subscribers and ~1 million active families worldwide. The platform's invite-only, private architecture positions it as the trusted alternative to mainstream social media for families who value privacy and security.

Tinybeans Group Interim CEO Tracy Cho, [email protected]

Investor + Media Relations Wilamina Russo, [email protected]