Blueheaven

TSA laws does NOT require ID for anyone under 18 on domestic travel. How would you as a parent react if the TSA agent sees all the domestic boarding passes and ID of the parents and still asks the boy how old he is even though the kid looks very young?
We have a 9 years old child and traveled domestic recently and the tsa employee asks our son how old he is and what his name was. NO ID is required to show so I didn't show my son's ID. Everyone knows 9 years old child is a small child not even a teenager. My son despite being autistic can say few words and say his name so we told the agent politely he is 9 and my son gave the agent his name.
Wondering how would other parents react. Would you reply with the age and name of your young child or would you reply NOPE, NOT REQUIRED?

Will they than send the traveling family on secondary inspection as a retaliation?

FlyingUnderTheRadar

I woud do as you did, reply with their age and nothing else. That then becomes an affirmative that no id is required.

That said, when approaching the TSA I would place myself between the TSO and my child. That makes them go through me.

Section 107

TSA is supposed to ensure the person presenting the boarding pass at the PSC is the person named on the BP - so asking for the child's name is reasonable. But as noted, there is no requirement to provide documentary proof of the child's identification/name. Children are much less likely to lie to an adult, let alone one in uniform with a shiny badge, than is an adult so directly asking the child to provide the name is part of the drill. Asking for age is either the TSO being conversational / trying to appear "friendly" or a deliberate effort at screening for abduction / child trafficking (where the responses might indicate referral for additional screening).

Most people will go with the flow and let the child answer. But some will stick to principles and push back by not allowing the child to answer more than just the name. And you are correct - taking that tack might well result in being referred to additional screening - it's TSO discretion. I have done it both ways and depending upon how tight my connections are or how important it is to get where I am going (or truth be told - pressure from my wife not to push back on them) I am with how you and FUTR suggest handling it.

FliesWay2Much

The TSA clerk was engaging in an anti-human trafficking interrogation. They even bragged about it back in 2020. They were looking for the "big catch". Over on r/tsa, there is the occasional conversation about it, including on-line training the clerks are required to take. If the TSA wasn't bad enough, the airlines are even worse.

Blueheaven

sometimes, gov and public employees over react and try to be over smart and give you orders when they have no authority.

Section 107

It seems today that more and more the government is anti-human.

Must be the animal and extraterrestial lobbyists taking over....

Heyden

I'm going with the flow and hoping the person ahead of me in line isn't going to "stick to principles." Making a fuss when an airport security official asks your child their risks you being sent to secondary and delays the people behind you.

Boggie Dog

Going with the flow is how the public ends up with federal agencies, like TSA, exceeding their responsibilities.

scubadu

And sometimes overly paranoid passengers, who think "the man in the sky" is always out to get them, also over react and try to be "over smart" when its not necessary

Regards

gsoltso

Sometimes when the TSO is not certain of a childs age, they may ask - there are 2 tiers to that age thing as well. 12 and under get to keep their shoes on, under 18 does not require an ID. The TSO may have just been determining whether the child was young enough to keep their shoes on, or old enough to have to remove them. If I have a question, I usually fins it best to simply ask a question about the age of a child (of course, I also incorporate the parent if they are there). That way there is no confusion, and screening is conducted properly.

SPN Lifer

Wise parents prepare their children in advance for such questions.

Happy New Year, FlyerTalkers, from Chamorro Standard Time, U.S.A.!

Boggie Dog

Don't ask the child, ask the parent!

gsoltso

Most engagement programs indicate involving all family members in discussion (at least the ones I have taken in any professional capacity), it helps to defuse tension, and makes all family members feel involved in things. It is not always the best option, especially if the child or parent are escalated/agitated your engagement needs to be more singular and focused on the challenges, not just engagement. Many of the engagement techniques teach to speak to the entire group, children included. I have asked parents, kids, teens what a childs age is. Like I said, it depends entirely on the situation.

arcticflier

Please don't bring logic & reason to FT.
This is supposed to be a safe space for emotional OPs & responses.

arcticflier

We went to a Sunday Brunch for Christmas with my grand-children and a member of the wait staff had the audacity to speak to my young family members directly. Not just for their food order but also about whether Santa gave them any fun presents.

It was frightening to watch them address these adolescents directly and God knows the life-time damage that the kids suffered.

We immediately made appointments with a trauma counselor and the kids have been in therapy since the incident.