Taking the question regarding the statute of childhood in legal regulations that direct research with human beings, as a starting point, we discuss the different views on childhood found implicit or explicitly in these regulatory instruments. In order to analyze such views, a sample of ethical regulations of national, international and local reach was selected. We found that local regulations are binding for psychological research. International regulations attained wide consensus and are of frequent reference for researchers, although, not all of them are mandatory for research in psychology. After a categorical analysis of the sample, we present preliminary conclusions regarding the variety of conceptions on childhood that underlie legal regulations -some compatible and many others contradictory- and the consequences that originate in the inclusion of childhood in the general paradigm of vulnerability or promotion and defense of children’s speciic rights.