How young is too young to be a marketer?

State Rep. Mike Festa has sponsored legislation aimed at protecting children from exploitation by youth marketers on the Internet. To townonline he said that: "he was drawn to the issue after reading news accounts, including a Dec. 5New York Times magazine cover story, that described the ways in which buzz marketing companies support deceptive practices among agents, including minors, who are employed to participate in their promotional campaigns."

The Hidden (in Plain Sight) Persuaders at the New York Times (Pay for view article) was discussed here as well The Hidden (in Plain Sight) Persuaders debate by Justin Kirby.
So now the State Legislature in Massachusetts introduced a bill on March 21st that adds "word of mouth" as a clause in what amounts to the child labor act for that state. Ironically, it might have been the WOMMA Ethics code that set this off, as the draft seemed to focus on the deception issue , but was immediatly attacked for allowing teen marketers.