When is parental notification allowed in lieu of active parental permission?

Parental notification can be allowed in lieu of active parental permission when an Institutional Review Board (IRB) has approved a waiver of the requirement. This typically occurs when the research poses minimal risk to participants and when obtaining parental consent is impractical or not necessary for the protection of the children involved.

The IRB's role is to review research studies and ensure that the rights and welfare of participants are protected. If the IRB finds that waiver criteria are met, they can approve parental notification instead of requiring active consent. This flexibility allows researchers to conduct studies that might be important for specific populations, such as children or adolescents, without undertaking undue burdens that might hinder participation.

In this context, the other options relate to specific aspects of research involving minors, but they do not equate to the circumstances under which a waiver by the IRB is applicable. Minimal risk and the involvement of adolescents can indeed be factors in a research study, but without an IRB's review and approval for a waiver, active parental consent would normally still be required. Similarly, the context of conducting a study online does not inherently change the parental consent requirements unless a waiver has been specifically granted by the IRB, reinforcing the need for that formal approval in the answer provided.