Date of Award
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Honors Thesis
Major
Politics
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Brian Weiner
Second Advisor
Kimberly Richman
Third Advisor
James Taylor
Abstract
This thesis focuses on the emerging issue of child exploitation through the use of generative-AI technologies within the context of the civil and criminal intricacies regarding the exploitation of child influencers within the family content creation industry on social media. Although great strides have been made in state digital legislation, the need for updated federal legislation pertaining to abuse of technological advancements, such as generative-AI, becomes more apparent when identifying the shortcomings and legal loopholes within digital legislation. This research will conduct a comparative textual analysis between the "child influencer laws” of Illinois, California, Utah, and Minnesota—across the civil and criminal contexts of child exploitation—in order to evaluate how current digital legislation effectively or ineffectively acclimatizes to the rapidly-evolving technological landscape. Correspondingly, the research findings will unveil a constitutional roadblock that greatly impacts the future of digital regulation efforts pertaining to the use of generative-AI technologies.
Recommended Citation
Dixon, Jaide, "From Family Content Creation to Child Exploitation: How Social Media Unmasks the Shortcomings of Digital Legislation" (2026). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 88.
https://repository.usfca.edu/honors/88
Included in
Civil Law Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, Criminal Law Commons, Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, First Amendment Commons, Internet Law Commons, Labor and Employment Law Commons, Legal Remedies Commons, Legislation Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons, Science and Technology Policy Commons, Supreme Court of the United States Commons
