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Are there special rules about conducting a study of children aged under 12?
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No child aged under 14 must be approached for an interview unless they are accompanied by an adult. If a survey is being carried out within a ‘protected environment’ such as a school, the permission of the relevant adult overseeing that location must first be obtained and if in the street or other public place - the permission of a parent or person to whom the parent has given responsibility for the child must be obtained. They must be given sufficient information to reach a considered decision.
The identity of the person giving the permission should be noted but it is not normally necessary for the permission to be in writing. When carrying out interviews with children it is usually desirable that a responsible adult (apart from the interviewer) remains close at hand. This is especially important in the case of in-home interviews. However this person does not actually need to be present in the same room - this may even be undesirable in certain cases where it might introduce some bias in the responses.