User suspected to be under 13

Hi,
I recently noticed that a user provided an identification for one of my observations that I believe is impossible to confirm. A second user automatically agreed, resulting in a very questionable Research Grade observation. Upon checking the user’s profile, it seems they might be a child under 13.

How should I proceed in this situation? I want to handle this appropriately, ensuring the integrity of the data without discouraging a curious young naturalist. At the same time, I want to make sure I follow the platform’s guidelines when interacting with minors.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

2 Likes

if this is your observation, and your concern is that your observation should not be research grade, you could just opt out of community ID. you could just add a comment saying that it’s no possible to identify to whatever level. it’s probably not necessary to try to hash things out with every identifier, regardless of whether or not the identifiers in this case are <13.

4 Likes

Please submit a ticket to staff: https://inaturalist.freshdesk.com/en/support/tickets/new

We can check to see if we have obtained legal permission from the child’s parent/guardian. If we haven’t, we reach out to them and give them a week to respond. If they don’t, the account must be suspended.

This is not technically correct. iNat needs to obtain legal permission for the child to use iNat. See https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/privacy#children

4 Likes

Is it even a big deal anyways? iNat rules say a kid under 13 can’t make an account by his/herself but can under parental supervision or with the consent of parents or guardian.

Yes, it’s a legal issue.

5 Likes

Oooh, okay, I see. Thanks for the info.

I guess that is dangerous.