Terms & Conditions

1. Eligibility and Age Restrictions

General Audience: Our platform is open to youth, students, educators, and researchers worldwide.

Age Requirement for Submissions: You must be at least 13 years old to submit content or register for an account. If you are between 13 and 18 years old, you confirm that you have obtained parental or legal guardian consent to use our services and agree to these Terms. Parental consent required

Human Rights Compliance: We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent, in compliance with COPPA and GDPR-K.

2. Account Registration and Security

• To participate in forums, submit research, or join events, you may need to create an account.
• You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information.
• You are responsible for safeguarding your password. Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
• TNT reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or engage in hate speech, plagiarism, or harassment.

3. User-Generated Content & Submissions (Research, Articles, Ideas)

Ownership: You retain full ownership of your original research, essays, or project ideas.

License to TNT: By posting content, you grant TNT a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to: publish, display, distribute your content on our website and social channels; translate or format it for accessibility; archive it for future educational reference.

Prohibited Content: You may not submit content that:

• Contains plagiarism, falsified data, or pseudo-science.
• Promotes violence, discrimination, hate speech, or violates human rights.
• Infringes on copyrights, trademarks, or privacy of others.
• Contains malware, spyware, or tracking scripts.

Ethical Research Pledge: All research submitted must respect informed consent, data privacy, and avoid harm to vulnerable populations.

4. Code of Conduct for Thinkers

As a youth-driven platform promoting innovation and human rights awareness, you agree to:

• Engage respectfully with differing opinions.
• Not bully, stalk, or intimidate other members.
• Not use TNT for commercial advertising or political campaigning unrelated to social service or science.
• Not attempt to hack, disrupt, or overload our servers.

Violation may result in immediate banning and, in cases of illegal activity (e.g., doxxing, child exploitation), referral to law enforcement.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

TNT’s Materials: All logos, graphics, curriculum, branding, and website design are owned by The Next Thinkers. You may not reproduce them without written permission.

Third-Party Links: Our website may link to external resources. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.

Attribution: If you republish TNT’s original research summaries or toolkits, you must provide clear credit and a link back to our site.

6. Events, Workshops, and Community Engagement

TNT may host online/offline events (hackathons, debates, service projects).

• RSVP & Cancelation: Some events may require registration. You agree to provide real contact info. No-show policies may affect future registrations.
• Media Release: By attending events, you consent to photography/videography for TNT’s promotional use, unless you opt out in writing 48 hours in advance.
• Physical Events: For in-person social service activities, you (or your guardian) assume risk of injury; TNT is not liable for accidents caused by participant negligence.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

TNT provides content "as is" for educational purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy of user-submitted research.

We do not warrant that our website will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses.

Not Professional Advice: Content related to science, technology, or social service does not constitute legal, medical, or professional engineering advice.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law: TNT, its founders, volunteers, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform.

Our total liability for any claim related to these Terms shall not exceed $50 USD or the amount you paid us (if any).

9. Privacy & Data Protection

Your use of TNT is also governed by our Privacy Policy (link to it). We collect minimal personal data (name, email, country) to foster a global community.

Human Rights Priority: We will never sell your data to advertisers or political entities. We comply with GDPR’s right to be forgotten — contact us to delete your account.

10. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access immediately if you:

• Breach any part of these Terms.
• Submit fraudulent research or plagiarized work.
• Engage in behavior that undermines our mission of ethical innovation.

You may delete your account anytime via your settings or by emailing legal@thenextthinkers.org.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms every 6-12 months. Continued use after changes means you accept the new Terms. Major changes (e.g., data use, content ownership) will be announced via email or a site banner.

12. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of [Insert Your Country/State].

Disputes: We encourage informal resolution first (email us). If unresolved, any arbitration shall be held virtually via a neutral mediator. Class action waivers apply.

13. Contact Information