My childhood experience is already slightly different from that of others because I was homeschooled. But, as a kid, growing up in the 1990s, one thing I knew for sure was that any embarrassing anecdotes or photos were going to be shared only with my immediate and extended family. The baby bath pictures are in our family photo albums, not online. As are the awkward dance videos, preserved forevermore on VHS, not with an indelible digital footprint. Social media wasn't a thing in 1995 when I was 11-years-old! I never had to worry about my identity being shared with total strangers where my parents had no control over who viewed the information.
But today’s kids aren’t so lucky. From ultrasound announcements to viral TikTok dances, the lives of American children are broadcast, monetized, and archived before they can even tie their shoes. As debates over child privacy laws heat up, Nordic nations like Sweden and Norway are setting global standards with strict safeguards, while the U.S. scrambles to catch up. In this post, we’ll explore why Scandinavia’s proactive laws—rooted in collective responsibility—are shielding children in ways America’s reactive system still struggles to match, and what it means for parents navigating a world where childhood has become content.
Here are some key differences between Nordic (or EU in general) approach vs the U.S. approach to child privacy laws.
Scandinavia/EU Proactive Enforcement
- Proactive Monitoring:
- GDPR violations (e.g., collecting data on minors without consent) can trigger fines up to 4% of global revenue. National agencies actively investigate complaints (e.g., France’s CNIL fined a family blogger €20,000 in 2023 for failing to secure a child’s data).
- Norway and Sweden audit high-earning family channels to ensure earnings from child-focused content are held in trust.
- Public Accountability: Cultural norms discourage monetizing childhood, leading to social pressure and reduced viewership for violators.
- Content Restrictions: Commercial use of minors under 12 in ads or sponsored content is often prohibited.
- Right to Erasure: Children can petition to have content removed once they reach legal adulthood.
U.S. Reactive Enforcement Challenges
- Reactive and Limited:
- COPPA fines (e.g., $170 million against YouTube in 2019) target platforms, not individual creators. Family vloggers rarely face penalties unless they directly violate data-collection rules.
- State-level trust laws (e.g., Illinois’ 2024 Child Influencer Act) rely on self-reporting; enforcement is sparse due to limited resources.
- Labor Law Gaps: Only extreme cases (e.g., 8-year-old “YouTube star” Ryan Kaji’s parents facing FTC scrutiny in 2025) draw attention, but most content falls into unregulated “family business” exemptions.
While Illinois and California have passed laws to protect child influencers’ earnings, experts estimate fewer than 15% of eligible families comply due to lax enforcement and low awareness.
Viewing Child Protection through a Biblical Lens
Scripture frames parenthood not as ownership but as sacred stewardship. “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6) calls parents to guide with wisdom, ensuring a child’s path aligns with their God-given identity—not a parent’s agenda. Yet modern family vlogging often inverts this principle, treating children as content commodities rather than image-bearers of God (Genesis 1:27). The Apostle Paul sharpens this accountability: “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives… has denied the faith” (1 Timothy 5:8). To “provide” here transcends material needs; it includes safeguarding a child’s emotional, digital, and spiritual well-being. Exploiting a child’s likeness for profit—without regard for their consent or future—violates this mandate, trading stewardship for selfish gain.
The Nordic emphasis on societal safeguards mirrors Paul’s charge to “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). While Western individualism often isolates families, Nordic laws reflect a communal ethos—ensuring corporations, platforms, and neighbors share responsibility for protecting childhood. For example, Norway’s trust fund requirements for child influencers operationalize the biblical ideal of “storing up treasures” for the next generation (Matthew 6:20), not exploiting their labor. Similarly, GDPR’s restrictions on harvesting minors’ data align with Proverbs 31:8–9’s call to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
Nordic policies, though secular in origin, inadvertently reflect a theology of collective care—one that challenges America’s idolization of parental autonomy. Scripture never grants parents absolute rights but instead charges them with temporary guardianship (Psalm 127:3). By legally prioritizing a child’s privacy and economic future, Nordic nations model a practical outworking of “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31)—treating all children as a shared trust. For Christians, this invites a sobering question: Does our defense of parental freedom serve the child’s flourishing, or our own comfort? True stewardship, as modeled in the Gospels, sacrifices control for the sake of another’s wholeness.
This biblical framework doesn’t demand mimicry of Nordic secularism but calls believers to lead the charge in crafting systems—and family habits—that honor the sacred weight of shepherding the next generation.
My Personal Takeaway
As a kid in the 90s, the mistakes I made were in private and could fade away into grace. Strangers didn't know me, didn't harangue on my "failings," and didn't have any clue about my fluctuating weight or acne problems. I was free to be awkward and grow up organically, without fear of a phone being pointed in my direction, broadcasting my image for all the world to see, and worse, to comment on. The idea of a child enduring the reality of digital permanence in American culture breaks my heart. That's not how childhood should be.
While I doubt that America would ever allow itself to go to the level of Nordic restrictions, however healthy I consider them, I do hope that, as a society, we eventually realize that children should not only be allowed to be children, but socially required to have a childhood free of the digital footprint. American parents today need to take into consideration the right to privacy that their children should have, just as we did when we were kids. And one of the biggest steps we can take is to stop engaging with child influencer or family vlogger content.
Disclaimer: This post is part one in a multi-part series of thoughts regarding Child Privacy in a Digital Age. All thoughts are my personal opinions and I encourage readers to do their own research into failures and successes on child privacy laws in the United States.