She was on Hallmark Channel's Home & Family today and talked a little about why she got emancipated. She said it was purely for work. An underaged actor can only work a certain number of hours before they have to stop and do schooling for a certain number of hours. By getting emancipated she was able to bypass the requirement and was able to work longer.

May sound strange but I think it was just a legal move so she could end up creating her own production company.
Wait, no, the dates dont match up.
Never mind. Sounds like some weird family situation that she'd probably have to explain personally.

Legal Emancipation can mean various things in different states in the US and can also differ between countries. Basically it means that a person who is younger than the age of consent (usually 18)is granted certain same rights legally and financially as an adult. The main reason this is done is that there are different laws (child labour laws) that govern under 18 year olds than adults. Hours of work and payment of taxes. According to child labour laws in some states the hours of work are severely restricted for minors and they would have to get written permission each time they worked in excess of 8 hours per day or later than 10 pm. Emancipated children can enter into a legal contract without the consent or signature of a parent or legal guardian. This can save a lot of time and money for actors and models whose hours may fluctuate greatly from day to day and negates the need for a parent or guardian to be with them 24/7.
Emancipation does not mean cutting ones self off from their parents. Judges and the courts do not take the granting of legal emancipation lightly and it is usually up to the minor child to prove to the courts that they have the maturity and common sense required to be given it. I know this seems a little conflicting in these days when many many parents do not show the maturity and common sense to be parents but they don't have to prove it to anyone.

But the weird part (to me) is that, according to the same bio, she also lives with her family. Why be emancipated just to live with your family, lol?

I think it means that she is allowed to do whatever she wants to do, without her parents having a say in it. She is also allowed to do whatever she wants with the money she earns.
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