Parental Consent: How It Works
A plain-language guide for anyone on the team or at a partner school. Status: this is the planned process for the pilot. It isn't live yet — today's demo approves consent automatically, and no real student will go through that. The research, legal detail and sources are in 14-parental-consent.md.
In one minute
- Before a student under 18 can use Thnkrr, a parent or legal guardian has to say yes.
- The school checks the guardian's details first. Nothing is sent to the guardian until the school has confirmed them.
- The guardian says yes themselves, on a page we email them or on a paper form from the school. The school never says yes for them.
- We never ask for ID, bank cards or Social Security numbers.
- The same process applies in every country. Schools in India add one extra step from 13 May 2027.
Who needs a guardian's permission
| Student's age | What happens |
|---|---|
| Under 13 | Can't join Thnkrr. |
| 13 to 17 | Needs a guardian's permission. |
| 18 or over | Doesn't need a guardian's permission. |
Who's involved
- The student — signs up and tells us who their guardian is.
- The guardian — a parent or legal guardian. Reads about Thnkrr and decides.
- School staff — one or two named people at each school, usually a counsellor or an administrator. They check the guardian's details against the school's records. Only people Thnkrr has set up can do this.
- The Thnkrr team — sets up each school and follows up when something is stuck.
The steps
1. The student signs up. They create their account, choose their school, and agree to Thnkrr's rules and privacy notice themselves.
2. The student tells us who their guardian is. They give the guardian's name, how they're related, and the guardian's email address. If the guardian doesn't use email, the student says so and the school uses a paper form instead. Nothing is sent to the guardian yet.
3. The school checks the details. A staff member compares what the student entered with the school's own records. They can only confirm or reject it — the school never adds or changes any details.
| What the school finds | What happens next |
|---|---|
| The guardian's name, relationship and email all match the school's records | Thnkrr emails the guardian. |
| Anything doesn't match, including an email the school doesn't have for that guardian | Nothing is sent. The student is asked to check the details or talk to their counsellor. They aren't told what didn't match, which protects families where a parent isn't allowed contact. If the student fixes the details, the school checks them again. |
| The guardian needs a paper form | The school gives the guardian a paper form (see Families without email). |
| The student isn't at this school, or their age looks wrong | Nothing is sent. The Thnkrr team follows up with the school. |
4. Thnkrr emails the guardian. The email names the school and the student, and links to a page that explains Thnkrr. The link works only once and expires after 7 days.
5. The guardian decides. On that page, they tick "I am this student's parent or legal guardian", type their full name, and choose Confirm, Decline or This isn't me. Just opening the page does nothing.
6. The account opens. The guardian gets a confirmation email with a link to withdraw permission at any time. The student is told they're in.
What the guardian is told
On the page, before they decide:
- what Thnkrr is, and that it's limited to their child's school community;
- what we collect about their child, and who can see it — classmates, teachers and college mentors;
- that mentors are college students who can never contact a student first;
- that everything written on Thnkrr is checked for safety before anyone else sees it, using AI from an outside company;
- that messages are kept and can't be deleted;
- that there are no ads and we never sell data;
- how to withdraw permission, and how to contact us.
The page and the email are available in the school's main languages.
While the student waits
The student can't use Thnkrr yet. They see a simple progress screen:
- School check — waiting or done
- Guardian — waiting or done
They can resend the email to the guardian if needed.
If something goes wrong
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| The school hasn't checked yet | The school gets a reminder. If it's still waiting, the Thnkrr team contacts the school. |
| The guardian doesn't reply | The student can resend the email to the same address. If nobody says yes within a set time, the sign-up closes and its details are deleted. The student can start again. |
| The email never arrives | The student talks to their counsellor, and the school uses the paper form. |
| The guardian chooses Decline | The student is told, and the account is closed. They can talk to their counsellor. |
| The guardian chooses This isn't me | The request is cancelled, and the school checks its records again. |
| The student changes the guardian's details | The school checks the new details from the start. |
| The student turns 18 while waiting | They no longer need a guardian's permission, so the request is cancelled. |
Families without email, and other situations
- No email, doesn't read English, or no internet: the school gives the guardian a paper form in their language. The guardian signs it and returns it to the school. A staff member checks the signature against the school's records and marks the form as received. The school keeps the paper; Thnkrr keeps only a reference number.
- Foster care, kinship care, or a student living on their own: school staff record who is allowed to give permission. We'll give schools a short list of who counts in their area.
- Emancipated students: the school confirms this, and the student gives permission themselves.
- Custody disputes or parents who aren't allowed contact: school staff mark the details as not matching. Guardians never see each other's details.
After the account is open
- A guardian can withdraw permission at any time, using the link in their confirmation email. The account is paused straight away, and its data is deleted after a set time unless permission is given again.
- When the student turns 18, they no longer need a guardian's permission. They agree to Thnkrr's rules themselves.
- If Thnkrr changes what it collects or who can see it, we can ask guardians again.
What we keep, and what we never ask for
We keep:
- the guardian's name, relationship and email;
- who at the school confirmed the details, and when;
- what the guardian was shown, and when they said yes or no.
We never ask for: photos of ID, bank or card details, or Social Security numbers.
We delete: the details of any sign-up nobody said yes to, after a set time.
What we need from each school before students sign up
- The pilot agreement signed. For US schools, this includes permission for staff to check parent details with us.
- One or two named staff members to check requests. It takes about 30 seconds per student.
- Parents told first. Before students sign up, the school tells parents Thnkrr is coming and that an email from us will arrive, so it isn't mistaken for spam.
- Paper forms ready for families who need them. We provide them, translated.
- An agreed time for checking requests.
- A gradual start — a few classes at a time, or a supervised sign-up session — so requests don't pile up.
Schools in India
Everything above applies. In addition, from 13 May 2027, the guardian also proves they are an adult using DigiLocker, the Indian government's digital document service. We keep only a note that the check passed, not their personal details.
Which laws this is designed to meet
Nothing here is live yet, so this shows what the process is designed to meet once it's built. A lawyer still needs to confirm the points marked below.
United States
| Law | What it asks | Where we stand |
|---|---|---|
| COPPA — federal children's privacy law | Applies only to children under 13. | Thnkrr doesn't allow under-13s, so it doesn't apply. We still follow its standard for proving a parent said yes. |
| FERPA — student records law | A school may share parent details with a company only under a proper agreement. | Covered by the pilot agreement each US school signs. |
| Tennessee and Mississippi — in force now | A parent's permission before anyone under 18 opens an account. | Designed to meet. A lawyer should confirm the method each state accepts, and whether either state's exemptions cover Thnkrr. |
| Florida — in force now | A parent's permission for 14- and 15-year-olds, plus checking who the parent is. | Probably doesn't apply: it covers services where many young users spend hours a day. We'll check once we see real usage. If it does apply, the school check is how we confirm the parent. |
| Ohio, Georgia and Nebraska — currently blocked by courts | A signed form from the parent. | Ohio would cover Thnkrr; Georgia and Nebraska probably wouldn't, because they exempt career networks. If these laws return, the paper form counts. Whether typing a name online counts as signing needs a lawyer. |
| New York — child data law | Teens agree for themselves as well. | Covered: students agree to the rules themselves. |
| Accessibility (ADA) — US public schools | The email, page and paper form must work for people with disabilities, from 26 Apr 2027 for larger districts and 26 Apr 2028 for smaller ones. | Still to do when the process is built. |
| New state laws — South Carolina (Jan 2027), Minnesota (Jul 2027), Indiana, Idaho, Illinois | Not reviewed yet. | Still to do: review before they take effect. |
India
| Law | What it asks | Where we stand |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Rules — from 13 May 2027 | A parent's permission for everyone under 18, and a check that the parent is an adult using government-backed identity. No tracking, behaviour monitoring or targeted ads for children. | Still to do: the DigiLocker adult check. The school check doesn't count toward India's rule on its own. Thnkrr has no ads. A lawyer must confirm that our safety checks don't count as monitoring, who is responsible (Thnkrr or the school), whether the paper form still works after May 2027, and what registration Thnkrr needs in India. |
Other countries (only if schools there join)
| Law | What it asks | Where we stand |
|---|---|---|
| EU (GDPR) | A parent's permission below each country's age (13 to 16), with more proof where the risk is higher. | Designed to meet: we ask to 18, and the school check is the extra proof. A lawyer confirms each country. |
| EU Kids Act — proposal expected in September 2026 | Reportedly a parent's permission for 13- to 15-year-olds. | Watch: check once it's published. |
| UK | No parent's permission legally required from 13. New under-16 social media rules are expected in 2027. | We ask anyway. Watch: whether the new rules cover Thnkrr. |
| Australia | Under-16s are barred from social media, but services for professional networking or education are excluded. | Thnkrr is likely excluded. |
Countries not listed here haven't been reviewed. Check a country's rules before a school there joins.
Still to do before we can say we comply
- Build the process — today's demo approves consent automatically.
- Write Thnkrr's rules and privacy notice, have a lawyer review them, and translate them.
- Make the email, page and paper form accessible.
- India: have the DigiLocker check working before 13 May 2027.
- Get a lawyer's answers on the points marked above.
- Review the new US state laws before they take effect.
Why it works this way
- The law requires it in many places, including India and some US states. Where it doesn't, we ask anyway, so every family gets the same protection.
- The school checks first so that an email about a child never reaches a stranger because of a typo or a made-up address.
- The school only confirms or rejects details, so it never has to hand over a parent's information.
- The school's records are the only reliable way to know someone really is this student's parent. ID or card checks only show that someone is an adult.
- The guardian says yes themselves, because the law gives that decision to parents, not schools.
- We don't collect ID or card details, because keeping them puts families at risk and some US states forbid it.
Still being decided
- Whether guardians give a separate yes or no for contact with college mentors.
- Whether students whose school isn't on Thnkrr yet join a waitlist.
- Whether the school also confirms students who say they are 18 or over.
- The exact time limits — how long schools have to check, and when unfinished sign-ups are deleted.
- The wording shown to guardians, and Thnkrr's rules and privacy notice. These still need to be written and reviewed by a lawyer.