For Parents
Safe Freelancing for Your Teen — A Parent's Guide
How NexTalent protects students under 18 with guardian consent, identity masking, manual vetting, optional escrow, and Québec Law 25 compliance.
NexTalent is a Montreal student talent marketplace designed with minor safety as a core product feature, not an afterthought. Every under-18 account requires explicit parent or guardian consent aligned with Québec Law 25 before going live. Students' full names and personal contact details are masked — businesses communicate only through the platform. Payments involving minors are guardian-billed, and optional escrow holds client funds until work is approved. Every profile is manually reviewed by a human, and one-tap report and block tools go directly to a moderation queue.
Is online freelancing safe for my teen?
It's a fair question. Most platforms either ban minors entirely or offer no meaningful protections. NexTalent was built because Montreal has 300,000+ talented young people locked out of the gig economy — and because those teens deserve a safe lane, not a loophole.
Six protections built into NexTalent
1. Guardian approval (Law 25)
Under Québec's Law 25, collecting a minor's personal information requires informed consent from a parent or guardian. NexTalent requires this before any under-18 profile goes live. You review the privacy policy and explicitly approve your teen's participation.
2. Identity masking
Businesses see a first name, school, skills, and portfolio — never your teen's full name, personal email, phone number, or home address. All communication happens inside the platform.
3. Guardian billing
When a minor is paid for work, billing flows through the guardian account. You see what projects are active and what money is involved.
4. Manual vetting
No open directory. Every student profile is reviewed by a human before it appears to businesses. Rejected applications don't go public.
5. Optional escrow
When businesses use protected hire, client funds are held until work is approved — reducing payment disputes.
6. Report and block
Your teen can report or block any business with one tap. Reports go to NexTalent's moderation queue for immediate review.
What your teen can gain
- Real portfolio work before graduation
- Income they negotiate themselves (NexTalent takes 0% commission)
- Professional communication skills
- Connections with local Montreal businesses — not anonymous global clients
What to watch for (on any platform)
| Red flag | NexTalent's approach |
|---|---|
| No age verification | Guardian consent required for under-18 |
| Public contact info | Identity masking; in-app messaging only |
| Open sign-up directory | Manual review before going live |
| No payment oversight | Guardian billing for minors |
| No way to report problems | Report & block → moderation queue |
Read our detailed guides: Is it safe for teens to freelance online? and Law 25 & teen freelancing.
Questions?
Email hello@nextalent.tech or read our Privacy Policy in the app. To help your teen apply, open NexTalent and create a student account together.