[1] The original Bill was passed in 1939 by the State of California in response to the plight of Jackie Coogan, who earned millions of dollars as a successful child actor only to discover, upon reaching adulthood, that his mother and stepfather had spent almost all of his money.

[2] As it stands, money earned and accumulated under a contract under the code remains the sole legal property of the minor child.

[3][4] The law requires a child actor's employer to set aside 15% of the earnings in a trust (often called a Coogan Account) and codifies issues such as schooling, work hours, and time off.

[6][7] Later revisions extended the scope of minors' entertainment contracts that the court can approve to include contracts according to which a minor renders services as an "actor, actress, dancer, musician, comedian, singer, or other performer or entertainer, or as a writer, director, producer, production executive, choreographer, composer, conductor, or designer."

[8] In September 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an expansion to the law to cover child social media content creators.