The Legal Eagle’s winter 2026 issue contains articles on the kidfluencers, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision concerning e-cigarettes, and the importance of freedom of the press. A PDF of the Legal Eagle’s winter 2026 edition can be downloaded or individual articles can be read and/or printed from The Legal Eagle’s blog, The Lowdown.
Any questions, contact the editor of The Legal Eagle, Jodi L. Miller. She can be reached via email at jmiller@njsbf.org.
Here are the headlines from The Legal Eagle’s Winter 2026 Issue:
Understand Freedom of the Press
In the United States the press is often referred to as the Fourth Estate, the other estates being the three branches of government—legislative (Congress), executive (the President) and judicial (the courts). The press, and all forms of news media, are seen as providing a check on these three branches.
The notion of “freedom of the press” has been ingrained in American society since the country’s early days. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791, states, “Congress shall make no law…abridging [limiting] the freedom of speech, or of the press.” READ MORE
U.S. Supreme Court Issues Ruling on E-Cigarettes
Despite concerns about potential health risks, e-cigarettes, first introduced in the U.S. in 2007, have become popular over the nearly two decades they have been on the market, especially among teens and young adults. Opponents of e-cigarettes point to non-traditional flavors like bubble gum, banana, chocolate, cheesecake, cotton candy, ice cream, donut, gummy bear, among others, that lure teens into vaping.
“E-cigarettes with fruit or candy flavoring tend to be appealing to young people and the vast majority of adolescents who use e-cigarettes use flavored products,” according to a January 2025 New England Journal of Medicine article. READ MORE
Behind the Screen: Legal Gaps Leave Kidfluencers Unprotected
Goldman Sachs, an investment bank firm, estimates the value of the social media influencer economy at around $250 billion and projects that it will reach $480 billion by 2027. According to a 2023 survey by Morning Consult, a global market research company, 57% of Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) aspire to be content creators or social media influencers. Some of the younger members of Gen Z are getting a jump start on their careers and becoming kidfluencers.
Kidfluencers are minors who either create monetized social media content themselves or appear in family vlogs that are posted on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Creators generate revenue through sponsorships and product placements, as well as the number of subscribers their channel has. The money generated can really add up for some kidfluencers. READ MORE
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