Setting up accounts

The golden rule: openly virtual

A virtual persona is allowed. A secret virtual persona is the problem. The major platforms and regulators all push the same way:

• Meta bans misrepresenting your identity to mislead or deceive people (Meta (opens in a new tab)).
• TikTok bans pretending to be a fake person to mislead people (TikTok (opens in a new tab)).
• Reddit's rules say to be authentic and not to impersonate anyone in a deceptive way (Reddit (opens in a new tab)).
• The FTC's rule on fake reviews covers testimonials from people who don't exist, including AI-generated ones (FTC (opens in a new tab)).

So the first thing you write is the bio, with an AI disclosure label where everyone sees it. For example:

Alexis | AI-generated virtual creator | City nights and match days | 18+ community

Before you create anything

• Use a dedicated email address for your persona.
• Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-step login.
• Create one account per platform for this persona, and run it yourself. TikTok bans using AI or bot accounts to drive traffic, and using automation to run many accounts (TikTok (opens in a new tab)).
• Know the minimum ages. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Reddit and Discord all allow users from age 13 (Instagram (opens in a new tab), Facebook (opens in a new tab), TikTok (opens in a new tab), X (opens in a new tab), Reddit (opens in a new tab), Discord (opens in a new tab)). So your audience can include teenagers unless you take steps, and that matters a lot for gambling.

Platform by platform

Instagram

• Meta requires you to disclose photorealistic video and realistic-sounding audio made with AI, and shows an "AI info" label (Meta (opens in a new tab)). Label realistic AI images too. It costs nothing and builds trust.
• Content that promotes gambling is only shown to adults 18+ on Meta's apps (Meta (opens in a new tab)).
• Say she's AI in the bio.

Facebook

• Facebook profiles must represent real people. Meta may restrict or disable a profile that represents a fictional character (Meta (opens in a new tab)).
• Use a Facebook Page for your persona, not a personal profile.

TikTok

• Label AI content showing realistic-looking people with TikTok's AI-generated content label, or a clear caption, sticker or watermark (TikTok (opens in a new tab)).
• Users must be 16+ to appear in the For You feed or use direct messages (TikTok (opens in a new tab)).
• Treat TikTok as a lifestyle channel only. It doesn't allow ordinary creators to market or link to gambling (see lesson 7).

X

• We found no general rule requiring an AI label, but X may label or remove synthetic media that could deceive people (X (opens in a new tab)). Put the AI note in the bio anyway.

Reddit

• You must be 18+ to view mature content (Reddit (opens in a new tab)).
• Every subreddit (a Reddit community) has its own rules. Read them before you post anything, and follow them.

Telegram

• Users in EU countries, the UK and Australia must be 18+ to sign up (Telegram (opens in a new tab)). We found no minimum age for other countries in the terms, so don't assume everyone is an adult.
• The terms ban spam and scams (Telegram (opens in a new tab)).
• Put "18+" and "AI-generated" in your channel description and in a pinned post.

Discord

• Users must be 13+ and meet any local minimum age, and Discord may use third-party services to check age (Discord (opens in a new tab)).
• Use your server rules to say it's an 18+ lifestyle community, not a place for campaign promotion (lesson 7 explains why).

Age settings: what to turn on

• If a platform lets you restrict a post, channel or community to 18+, use it. On Meta, paid gambling content must target 18+ (Meta (opens in a new tab)).
• If it doesn't, say it. Put "18+" in bios, channel descriptions, server rules and pinned posts.
• Don't rely on settings alone. UK guidance says age-targeting on platforms may not fully prevent under-18s seeing content, so the content itself must not appeal to them (ASA (opens in a new tab)).

Common setup mistakes

• A personal Facebook profile for a fictional character. Use a Page instead.
• A bio that hides the AI. If a new follower can't tell within a few seconds, make it clearer.
• Default age settings everywhere. Look for 18+ options on each platform before you post, not after.
• Several accounts per platform "to test things". One persona, one account per platform, run by you.
• Copying another creator's look or voice. Keep your persona original (lessons 2 to 4).

Keep an official-policy folder

Bookmark each platform's policy pages from this lesson's sources. Rules change: X added gambling to its banned paid-partnership list on 13 February 2026 and removed it again on 1 March 2026 (NEXT.io (opens in a new tab), AffPapa (opens in a new tab)).

When you're unsure, the official page wins over any blog, video or lesson, including this one.

Next lesson: growing an audience who loves your persona.