Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act of 2002

The Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act of 2002 (H.R. 4667) was designed to strengthen federal protections for minors by prohibiting the employment of children under the age of 17 in exploitative modeling. The bill sought to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to classify such employment as "oppressive child labor," subjecting violators to specific legal penalties. Additionally, it aimed to criminalize the commercial display or sale of a child’s image when the primary intent is financial gain rather than the legitimate marketing of a product or service.

For citizens, this legislation would have established stricter federal oversight of the child modeling industry to prevent the commercialization of children's images for predatory or non-commercial purposes. By creating clear legal distinctions between legitimate advertising and exploitative practices, the bill intended to provide law enforcement with more robust tools to prosecute those who profit from the unauthorized or harmful use of a minor's likeness. Although introduced in the 107th Congress, the bill did not advance into law.