Age limit

[Shadowfax]

but then again, squiggy...how do you know i'm not a 13 yr old? there is no way of telling for sure.

and censoring otc isn't helping in any way. it's not otc's responsibility...
and for discussions, if people feel ackward discussing certain issues with a (possible) 13 yr old, then refrain from doing so. censoring otc won't help, and that's the question here. the age limit.

what happens during the discussions is every members own resonsibility...same thing that i sometimes refrain from discussing with people who won't understand my point of view..i choose not to discuss certain things then.
that's a choice you make, and not one enforced or influenced by otc

 

[lacemyster]

Lol that's what I thought too when I saw it. Then I remembered it's not my AV anymore...

Lacemyster, you have my old av that I gave up for the one I have now, just so you know what we're talking about.

Oh ok, yes, now i know what you're talking about

 

[Spirit]

I still say 13 is to young.

Agreed, because of the content of the threads.

I'm talking about participation, not reading...

Exactly. Any child with access to a computer and no adult supervision is going to satiate thier curiosity. Hell, I would have! All I know is I get a little uncomfy when a 13/14 yr old posts in one of those threads that are laced with sexual innuendo - and lord knows that's 90% of my posts!!!!

 

[Gato_Solo]

To those of you who agree that if the parents don't take the time to monitor their children's surfing habits then we shouldn't: (and please answer honestly) Does it bother you in the least to post about the topics Q brought up and their effects on impressionable 13 year olds? Or do you just not care about it enough to support a higher age limit?

That's what's driving my feelings on this and although I've abstained from posting much in the 'drugs are cool' or 'blow job' threads, I still worry about the real life effects that's going to have on them.

Maybe I just have an over-active conscience and shouldn't be worrying about people I'll never meet in RL.

Well said, and very succinct. I agree, to a point, but, then again, I don't post that kind of thing very often (only as a response), and I don't believe that censorship is the answer. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Parental responsibility is the key here, not censorship...self, or otherwise. When my daughters visit, and want to surf the web, I'm right there with them. Why? So that something like this is not an issue. (11 and 10 years of age, BTW). I know the dangers that lurk on the web, if not from word of mouth then through falling into them myself, and it's my job to keep my kids from being exposed at a young age...not anybody elses. If I can't do that in my own home, then I don't deserve to be a parent. Somebody elses failings are not my inherent responsibility, nor should it be.

 

[Squiggy]

but then again, squiggy...how do you know i'm not a 13 yr old? there is no way of telling for sure.

and censoring otc isn't helping in any way. it's not otc's responsibility...
and for discussions, if people feel ackward discussing certain issues with a (possible) 13 yr old, then refrain from doing so. censoring otc won't help, and that's the question here. the age limit.

what happens during the discussions is every members own resonsibility...same thing that i sometimes refrain from discussing with people who won't understand my point of view..i choose not to discuss certain things then.
that's a choice you make, and not one enforced or influenced by otc

Obviously, I was talking about knowingly discussing such things with a 13 year old. If someone claims differently, I accept their claim because I'm unable to confirm or deny it. And I treat them as what they claim to be...
As for OTC, it is my forum of choice because it affords us the freedom to have humorous adult themed threads while still offering the more serious discussions of typical boards....Its nice to run through here joking with everyone in an uncensored way and still be able to get other's thoughts on current events and personal experiences...OTC is unique in that. And I'd like to see it stay that way....

 

[Spirit]

As I see it, it's not censorship. It's merely raising the age limit to post. Like going to a movie...rated R or something.

Sure they can lie - but if someone says thier 16 and posts like a 13 yr old, then we can say in good conscience, "Grow up!". Sooner or later, the kids will leave.

To those who *are* the younger posters: I do not mean to be so parental - and I apologize if this pisses you off. I can imagine it does...

 

[Spirit]

amen squiggy!!!

 

[fury]

Don't apologize for that, Spirit, parents are supposed to piss kids off.

 

[Shadowfax]

i think people shouldn't make such a big deal out of this. things are going fine the way they are going now.
if you want to sign up as 13 yr old, while the min. age is 16, you just fill in age 18 or something.
same thing with porn websites, those kids can say they are 18 while they are 13....now, is it the responsibility of the webmaster of that website to prevent kids of seeing things?
you might not see it as censorship, but in a certain way it is. not everything discussed here is for 18+...
if kids want to hang out here, then that's their own decision....preventing them from signing up isn't going to be very effective because they can lie about their age.

like squiggy said, otc is such an open forum with quite open borders...a lot is allowed here. taking a piece of that freedom isn't good for otc, and if it's not even effective, why even bother?

 

[Gonz]

The minute an age limit becomes enforceable, it becomes a viable alternative. Until then, it's feel good legislation with no teeth.

It's kind of ironic, 2 or 3 "minors" are at this board & look how many views/posts the less than stellar threads get while important issues are hacked out between about 10 of us. Argues for the art vs life issue, 'eh?

 

[Squiggy]

But once they claim to be 16, they have freed me to treat them as such and its on them, not me. I can't make myself ignore their age if I know it to be 13...

 

[greenfreak]

It's kind of ironic, 2 or 3 "minors" are at this board & look how many views/posts the less than stellar threads get while important issues are hacked out between about 10 of us. Argues for the art vs life issue, 'eh?

You know why only 10 people respond to RW threads. We're all afraid of you.

 

[Spirit]

you might not see it as censorship, but in a certain way it is.

Could you please explain what that certain way is? As I understand censorship, it is when a person(s) removes or suppresses what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable. I don't see it as that at all.

Just a raise in age limit. Not a censor of content.

 

[Spirit]

It's kind of ironic, 2 or 3 "minors" are at this board & look how many views/posts the less than stellar threads get while important issues are hacked out between about 10 of us. Argues for the art vs life issue, 'eh?

I don't have time to discuss issues at length... none of my posts are more than a 2 minute typed out response

But once they claim to be 16, they have freed me to treat them as such and its on them, not me. I can't make myself ignore their age if I know it to be 13...

AMEN SQUIGGY!!! AGAIN!!!! I'm puttin you in my title, damnit.

 

[samcurry]

the major problem i see is enforcement. If someones says they are 16 and register and post there is nothing really as the board owner i can do other than ban them. so does it become a mute point after the fact? and in reality are we just massaging our own feelings in the end?
personally my feeling are if your not willing to participate in a conversation that a younger person has willingly stepped into why is it ok for them to read it? Its just as bad either way.

 

[Shadowfax]

sorry, wasn't clear on that point...bad choice of words. my intention was to make clear that it would decrease the amount of freedom there is on otc...

my bad

edit: that was directed to spirits reply...damn you guys post too fast

 

[Spirit]

and in reality are we just massaging our own feelings in the end?

YES!!!

so c'mere, sammy... I got massaging to do...

 

[Gonz]

You know why only 10 people respond to RW threads. We're all afraid of you

Then my job is done

 

[Squiggy]

I was just tricked into thinking RW stood for Real World when actually its code for Right Wing.....

 

[Shadowfax]

so what's not correct about that?