If your teenager wants to freelance online — building websites, designing apps, editing videos — you are right to ask about privacy law before saying yes. Québec's Law 25 (Loi modernisant des dispositions législatives en matière de protection des renseignements personnels) sets strict rules for how organizations collect, use, and store personal information. When minors are involved, those rules get tighter.
This guide explains what Law 25 means for teen freelancing, what consent looks like in practice, and how NexTalent builds guardian approval into the product — not as a checkbox, but as a gate that must clear before your teen's profile goes live.
What Law 25 requires for minors
Law 25 treats personal information about children and teens with heightened protection. For platforms like NexTalent that collect names, school details, portfolio content, and messaging data, the core obligations include:
| Requirement | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| Informed consent | A parent or guardian must understand what data is collected and why |
| Consent before collection | No profile goes public until guardian approval is recorded |
| Transparency | Clear privacy policy explaining data use, retention, and rights |
| Data minimization | Only collect information necessary for the service |
| Right to access and deletion | Parents can request to see or remove their teen's data |
These are not optional best practices — they are legal requirements for organizations operating in Québec. Platforms that simply ask teens to tick "I am 13+" without guardian involvement are not compliant for users under 18.
Why most gig platforms ban minors
Payment processors often require adult guarantors. Liability laws scare general marketplaces away from minor users. Privacy compliance adds another layer of complexity. The result: Upwork, Fiverr, and similar platforms prohibit users under 18 entirely, pushing talented teens toward unregulated channels — Discord servers, Instagram DMs, Craigslist — where no consent workflow, identity masking, or moderation exists.
NexTalent was built specifically because Montreal has 300,000+ young people locked out of the gig economy. The platform treats parent safety as a core product feature, not an afterthought.
How guardian consent works on NexTalent
When your teen (under 18) creates a NexTalent account, the workflow pauses until you approve:
- Your teen starts registration — They enter basic account details and indicate they are under 18.
- You receive a consent request — A parent or guardian reviews the privacy policy and platform terms.
- You explicitly approve — Consent is recorded before any profile submission or public visibility.
- Your teen builds their portfolio — They add projects, skills, and bio content for manual review.
- Human vetting — A NexTalent reviewer checks the profile before it appears to businesses.
You are not signing away oversight — you are activating a protected lane. Read more about guardian billing to understand how payments involving minors are handled.
What businesses see (and do not see)
Identity masking is central to Law 25 compliance on NexTalent:
- Visible: First name, school, skills, portfolio blocks, verified status
- Hidden: Full legal name, personal email, phone number, home address
All business communication happens inside the platform. Your teen can report or block any contact with one tap, and reports go directly to NexTalent's moderation queue.
For portfolio-specific privacy considerations, see what Law 25 means for teen online portfolios.
Questions to ask any platform before your teen signs up
Use this checklist when evaluating freelance platforms:
| Question | Red flag if... |
|---|---|
| Does the platform require guardian consent for under-18 users? | Teens can sign up with no parent involvement |
| Is personal contact info hidden from clients? | Full name, email, or phone appear publicly |
| Who reviews profiles before they go live? | Open directory with instant publication |
| How are minor payments handled? | Direct PayPal/Venmo to teen with no oversight |
| Can my teen report problems easily? | No in-app reporting or moderation |
Our gig platform red flags guide walks through five common warning signs and how NexTalent addresses each.
Your rights as a guardian
Under Law 25, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information NexTalent holds about your teen
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Withdraw consent and request account deletion
- Be notified of privacy incidents affecting your teen's data
Contact hello@nextalent.tech for any privacy-related questions. NexTalent's privacy policy is available in the app.
Is freelancing right for your teen?
Law 25 compliance is the baseline — not the only consideration. Talk with your teen about:
- Time management alongside school (balancing school and freelance)
- Scope boundaries (what projects they will and will not take)
- Professional communication standards
- When to involve you in a client conversation
For a broader safety overview, read Is it safe for teens to freelance online?.
Next steps
If your teen is ready to build a verified portfolio and connect with Montreal businesses, create a student account together on NexTalent. You will be prompted for guardian consent before anything goes public — and that is exactly how it should work under Québec law.
Explore NexTalent for parents or help your teen get started on NexTalent for students.