Verified on 30 October 2026. Platform terms are subject to change: the date provided is that of the consultation. Should any information have changed, notify me and I shall update it with the date of the revision.
If you are aged between 14 and 17 and publish your drawings on social media, there are regulations governing this activity: the minimum age for each platform, data protection law and the right of minors to their own image. This guide compiles what I have been able to verify in official texts, notes what I have been unable to confirm, and offers two checklists: one for you and one for your family or guardians. This is information, not legal advice.
Minimum age: platforms and the law
Platforms establish a minimum age for opening an account:
| Platform | Minimum age | Observations |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 13 years as a general rule | Impersonation reports via profile or form; identification may be requested |
| YouTube | Dependent upon the minimum age for managing a Google account in each country | Minors may utilise supervised experiences or YouTube Kids |
| 13 years | Their terms state 'You must be at least 13 years old'; the page consulted does not display a version date | |
| X | 13 years, declared | Parents or guardians may request the deactivation of a minor's account if they have not reached the required age; I have not located a dated version |
| Bluesky | Not located |
Organic Law 3/2018 establishes a different age for a separate matter: the processing of your personal data. Article 7 states:
'1. The processing of personal data of a minor may only be based on their consent when they are over fourteen years of age.
Exceptions are made in instances where the law requires the assistance of those holding parental authority or guardianship for the execution of the act or legal transaction in the context of which consent for processing is sought.
Exceptions are made in cases where the law requires the assistance of holders of parental authority or guardianship for the execution of the act or legal transaction in the context of which consent for processing is sought.
Several platforms allow accounts from the age of 13, yet Spanish law sets the age of 14 for consenting to the processing of your own data. The Spanish Data Protection Agency clarifies, in its frequently asked questions updated on 1 February 2024, that the minor's consent is only sufficient when they are over 14 years of age; below this, the consent of the person exercising parental authority or guardianship is required. A platform's contractual minimum age of 13 does not supersede this rule, and the Agency does not confirm that reaching this age alone enables data processing based on consent.
The European Digital Services Act (2022/2065), in Article 28, obliges platforms accessible to minors to adopt appropriate and proportionate measures for privacy, security and protection, and prohibits them from presenting profile-based advertising when they are reasonably certain that the user is a minor.
Laws concerning family and image
Article 84 of Organic Law 3/2018 states: 'Parents, guardians, curators or legal representatives shall ensure that minors make balanced and responsible use of digital devices and information society services in order to guarantee the proper development of their personality and preserve their dignity and fundamental rights.' It adds that the use or dissemination of images or personal information of minors on social networks or equivalent services that may imply an illegitimate intrusion shall determine the intervention of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Organic Law 1/1996, on the Legal Protection of Minors, recognises in Article 4 that minors have the right to honour, personal and family privacy and their own image. It considers any use of their image or name in the media that may undermine their honour or reputation, or be contrary to their interests, to be an illegitimate intrusion, even if the consent of the minor or their representatives is obtained.
The law refers to 'media', and I have not located a source that specifies whether your personal publications on social networks fall under this definition. Conversely, Article 84 of Organic Law 3/2018 does explicitly mention social networks.
Data that should not be published
These are my recommendations, not legal requirements.
- Your full name and date of birth.
- The name of your educational institution, your year group and your timetable.
- Your real-time location and the places you frequent.
- Your address, your telephone number and the details of your family members.
- Photographs in which your home, your uniform or your neighbourhood can be identified.
- Identity documents, tickets or receipts containing your personal details.
Pseudonym and separate email
An artistic name and a dedicated email address for your creative activity, distinct from your school and personal accounts, allow you to separate your public output from your private life. This does not alter your liability nor prevent others from identifying you through other data. This is a recommendation of this guide, and the cited regulations do not mandate it.
Commissions and private messages
Should someone request a drawing via private message, consult an adult before accepting, do not disclose banking or personal details and do not arrange meetings with strangers. Commissions, payments and contracts are subject to their own rules: consult Selling your drawings as a minor and First illustration commission.
Publishing images of others
If your drawing is based on a photograph of a classmate, family member or friend, ask them before publishing it. The law protects the image rights of minors, and educational centres and those organising activities with minors must protect their best interests when publishing their data (Article 92 of Organic Law 3/2018). If you do not have their permission, do not publish it.
Organic Law 1/1982, on the protection of the right to honour, personal and family privacy and the right to one's own image, lists as illegitimate intrusions, among others, the capture, reproduction or publication of a person's image in the circumstances established by law. According to Article 3, the consent of minors is provided by themselves if their level of maturity allows it; otherwise, their legal representative intervenes with the Public Prosecutor's Office. This is a summary of Articles 2, 3 and 7, and not their full text.
Removing content and closing accounts
- Before deleting, preserve anything that may serve as evidence: screenshots including the URL, the date and the username. INCIBE recommends not deleting communications before securing relevant evidence.
- Request removal from the platform. TikTok and YouTube provide impersonation reporting forms, and YouTube allows for privacy-based removal requests when personal data, images or voice recordings appear without consent.
- If the content is violent or sexual and has been disseminated without permission, posing a serious risk, the Spanish Data Protection Agency offers a Priority Channel to request urgent removal. This does not replace a criminal complaint.
- Copies and reposts. Removing your publication does not eliminate copies that others may have saved or reposted. No source I have reviewed guarantees otherwise.
Upon reaching 18 years of age
Article 240 of the Civil Code states: "The age of majority begins at eighteen years." From that point, you may enter into contracts yourself and consent to the processing of your data. Details on what changes at 14, 16 and 18 years of age regarding selling and publishing are available in Selling your drawings as a minor.
Checklist for you
- Do I meet the platform's minimum age requirement? Is my family aware?
- Are my username and email address distinct from my personal ones?
- Does any of my content reveal my educational institution, my home or my location?
- Do I have permission from the individuals appearing in my work?
- Do I know how to block a user and report a publication?
- Whom would I inform if someone sends me an uncomfortable message or requests money or data?
Checklist for families and guardians
- Be aware of the minor's accounts and the minimum age for each platform.
- Review with them the data visible on their profile and in their publications.
- Discuss how to respond to unknown messages, commissions or requests for money.
- Know where to seek help: the INCIBE 017 helpline, the ANAR Foundation telephone number and, in an emergency, 091, 062 or 112.
- Secure evidence before requesting the removal of any content.
- Note that the cited laws assign parents and guardians a duty to ensure balanced and responsible usage.
Where to seek assistance
- INCIBE Cybersecurity Helpline: telephone 017, WhatsApp 900 116 117, Telegram @INCIBE017. Free and confidential, from 08:00 to 23:00 every day. It provides advice but does not accept formal complaints.
- ANAR Foundation: 900 20 20 10 and 116 111 in the regions indicated by the foundation. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day, with psychologists and legal and social support.
- AEPD, Priority Channel: urgent removal of violent or sexual photographs, videos or audio recordings disseminated without permission.
- National Police (091 or 112) and Civil Guard (062 or 112): online reporting does not accept cases involving a minor victim, violence or acts of a violent or sexual nature; such cases require in-person or immediate attention.
For a specific incident, consult Harassment, impersonation and fake accounts on social media.
Points requiring clarification
- The version date of Instagram's terms, as well as the minimum age, representation and removal procedures on X and Bluesky.
- Whether personal publications on social networks fall under Article 4 of Organic Law 1/1996. I have not located a resolution from the Supreme Court or the Spanish Data Protection Agency that applies this article or Article 84 of Organic Law 3/2018 to images of minors on social networks.
Itineraries
I am starting my practice
Before opening an artist account, speak with your family and prepare your pseudonym and email. Publish your work first, not your personal data.
An open conversation
This guide compiles official regulations and channels. If you work in data protection, education or for a platform and can provide the current terms of a network, you may write to me.
Sources
- Organic Law 3/2018, on the protection of personal data and the guarantee of digital rights (BOE), arts. 7, 84 and 92.
- Organic Law 1/1996, on the Legal Protection of Minors (BOE), art. 4.
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, Digital Services Act (EUR-Lex), art. 28.
- Civil Code (BOE), art. 240.
- TikTok, impersonation.
- YouTube, impersonation and age for managing a Google account.
- AEPD, Priority Channel.
- INCIBE, Cybersecurity Helpline.
- ANAR Foundation, telephone and chat.
- National Police, Virtual Reporting Office.
- Guardia Civil, electronic reporting.