How to Get Your Child Into Acting: A Parent’s Guide for the US

Where should you start?

1. Training and stage time. Kids’ classes and community theater show whether your child enjoys the work.
2. Your state’s rules. Before any paid job, read your labor agency’s page on child performers and SAG-AFTRA’s state statutes database.
3. Simple photos and one profile. Take current pictures at home and build one profile on a platform you have checked.
4. Calls you have verified. You handle every message and go to every audition.
5. Representation last. If you look for an agent, verify the license or franchise first, and never pay up front.

How do you keep a child safe in the business?

Safety comes before every audition and every contract. These are the rules of thumb that official sources back up:

• Be there. Central Casting says a parent or guardian must accompany a minor on set. California’s Labor Commissioner requires a parent or guardian on set for younger minors (summary chart), and New York requires a responsible person of at least 18 to monitor each performer under 16, a role a parent can fill (New York summary).
• Vet the adults. In California, anyone who provides services to a minor for a fee, such as managing a career, photography, coaching or publicity, must hold a Child Performer Services permit with a criminal background check. Licensed talent agents are exempt because they hold a license. The state keeps a searchable list of permit holders.
• Know who must report abuse. Since January 1, 2026, California law treats talent agents, managers and coaches who work with minors as mandated reporters, according to the Labor Commissioner.
• Keep contact on the platform and in public. Casting Networks lists pressure to move to text or send private audition videos and requests for nudity or lingerie shots among its casting scam red flags. Never agree to an audition in a hotel or a private home.
• Use the safety resources. SAG-AFTRA’s resources for young performers point parents to safety bulletins and say first aid personnel are required on its productions. If your child is asked to do something hazardous, you can ask for a stunt or safety expert. On union productions, the union says its 2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement also bars producers from using a minor’s digital replica in a nude or simulated sexual context (gains for young performers).

Where are kids’ auditions posted?

Most legitimate calls reach families through casting platforms, agents, schools and theaters. A parent or guardian should set up and manage every account:

• Actors Access. Its terms of service say users must be at least 13, that Breakdown Services does not provide services directly to children under 13 and that representatives need verifiable parental consent before submitting younger actors.
• Casting Networks. A parent or guardian creates the profile for a minor, and its help center says each child needs their own membership (minor profiles, memberships per child).
• Central Casting (background work). According to its minors page, a minor may not sign up alone, and babies must be at least 15 days old.
• Local theater, schools and classes. Many first credits come from community productions. Actors’ Equity notes that most of its agreements include provisions for performers under 18, covering supervision and education (Equity’s young performers page).

Platform plans and prices change, so compare them in Actors Access vs. Backstage vs. Casting Networks, and remember that the casting director decides which projects go only to agents. Many auditions are self-tapes, so see how to record a self-tape.

What photos does a child need?

Less than you think. The FTC explains that because a child’s looks change quickly, legitimate agents and casting directors usually ask for casual snapshots rather than professional photos. SAG-AFTRA adds that casting’s top complaint is profiles with outdated headshots (why a complete profile matters), so update the photos as your child grows. A free Actors Access profile includes two photos.

Keep it simple: a clear, natural picture that looks like your child today, taken in good light, plus a full-length shot if a call asks for one. Our guide on how to take headshots at home shows how. Be careful with photographers. The FTC warns against being required to use a particular photographer, and in California a photographer who provides photos of a minor for use as an artist, for a fee, needs the Child Performer Services permit mentioned above.

How do you find a legitimate agent or manager for a child?

Your child doesn’t need representation to start, and a bad agent is worse than none. Read what a talent agent does and how to get a talent agent first, then check these points:

• Look for a franchised agent. SAG-AFTRA keeps a franchised agents list, and it says franchised agents may not charge up-front fees of any kind or require you to use a particular photographer or school (agent payment rules). The union does not franchise managers, whose fees fall under state law (agents vs. managers).
• Check the license. In California, anyone who arranges employment for artists needs a talent agency license, which you can look up in the Labor Commissioner’s records. In New York City, a business whose primary purpose is finding engagements for artists needs an employment agency license from the city and must post it, according to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
• Expect no fees up front. The FTC says to never pay an agency up front, to research the company’s name with words like “scam” or “complaint,” to ask for references and to get every promise in writing.
• Be wary of scouts. The FTC warns about fake talent scouts who offer photo shoots or classes for children, and says ads for “next child star” calls may be real but are often a way to enroll kids in expensive classes.

What do the laws require?

Federal law leaves most of this to the states. The U.S. Department of Labor’s child labor fact sheet names acting among the work that is exempt from the federal rules, so your state agency sets the permits, hours, schooling and trust requirements. SAG-AFTRA keeps a state statutes database for young performers. Two examples show how different the rules can be:

SAG-AFTRA’s page lists California, New York, Louisiana and New Mexico as states that currently require these trust accounts, and Central Casting’s guide to work permits for child actors describes California, New York, Georgia and Louisiana procedures. Fees and forms change, so always start from your state’s labor agency.

What about background work for kids?

Background work is a common first set experience, with limits. Central Casting says a parent or guardian must create and manage a minor’s account, that permit requirements vary by state and that the accompanying parent stays nearby and goes along to wardrobe, set and school if applicable. Its profile asks for simple photos, not professional ones, as our guide to how to become a background actor explains. Keep permits current, because an account can become inactive when they expire.

How do you balance acting and school?

Schooling is part of the law in both examples above, but it is also a family decision. SAG-AFTRA suggests talking to your child’s school before production starts about attendance policies, the main contact, how assignments will be delivered and the role of the set teacher. Keep grades up, say no to jobs that clash with exams and remember that self-tape auditions can be recorded at home. If acting begins to crowd out friends, sleep or play, step back.

What are the red flags?

• Fees for registration, “test shoots,” classes or a spot on a roster.
• A guarantee of work or big pay.
• A required photographer, a required class or pressure to sign quickly.
• A talent scout who approaches you in public or online with an offer for your child.
• Requests to move to private messages, to send private videos or to audition in a hotel or home.
• An agency without a license, a franchise or a track record you can verify.

Our guide on how to spot a fake casting call goes deeper, and how to get auditions in the United States covers the wider picture. If you live near a major market, our guides to auditions in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta add local detail.

Frequently asked questions

How old does a child have to be to start acting?

There is no single answer. California’s permits cover minors from 15 days old, New York prohibits employing a child performer who is not at least 15 days old, and Central Casting says babies must be at least 15 days old. Older children can start with classes and school plays.

Does my child need an agent to start?

Representation is not required. You can begin with classes, local theater and verified casting calls. Keep in mind that Breakdown Services says the casting director decides whether a project goes to agents, to actors or to both.

How much does it cost to get a child started?

Platform memberships, photos and classes are optional costs, and you should compare them before paying. New York’s child performer permit has no fee, while California charges for some entertainment permits, so check the state page. Never pay an agent up front or pay for a guaranteed audition.

What is a Coogan account?

It is a trust account for a child performer’s earnings. SAG-AFTRA says the parent sets it up, the employer withholds 15% of gross wages and deposits it, and several states require it. Rules vary, so ask your state agency.

Does my child need a work permit?

In California and New York, yes, even for unpaid performing. Other states have their own rules, which the SAG-AFTRA state statutes database and your state labor agency explain.

Can my child be on set without a parent?

Central Casting says a parent or guardian must accompany a minor on set. California requires a parent or guardian on set for younger minors, and New York requires a responsible person of at least 18 to monitor each performer under 16.

Reviewed in October 2026.