Honesty isn't exactly rewarded

[Guest]

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[Salvor-Hardon]

What the hell is it with a 13 year old age limit? 18, ok I can see that whole, "be an adult" mess, but 13? At least give a kid a chance to know that they will have a different kind of account from 12 to 13, or allow parents to activate areas and such.

I swear I need to be king of the Internet just so I can straighten this crap out once and for all.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

What the hell is it with a 13 year old age limit? 18, ok I can see that whole, "be an adult" mess, but 13? At least give a kid a chance to know that they will have a different kind of account from 12 to 13, or allow parents to activate areas and such.

I swear I need to be king of the Internet just so I can straighten this crap out once and for all.

One word ... Teenager!

 

[Guest]

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[TheeGoatPig]

What the hell is it with a 13 year old age limit? 18, ok I can see that whole, "be an adult" mess, but 13? At least give a kid a chance to know that they will have a different kind of account from 12 to 13, or allow parents to activate areas and such.

I swear I need to be king of the Internet just so I can straighten this crap out once and for all.

I don't know the exact reasoning, but I moderate a gaming forum with the same rules. You have to be 13 to create an account there. I've had to ban a couple of people (I may have to unban one of them now that I think about it) for being underage.

Although, the under 13 pople usually act like children, and have to be constantly warned for breaking other minor rules. So it's not like they are little golden children, usually.

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

I don't know the exact reasoning, but I moderate a gaming forum with the same rules. You have to be 13 to create an account there. I've had to ban a couple of people (I may have to unban one of them now that I think about it) for being underage.

Although, the under 13 pople usually act like children, and have to be constantly warned for breaking other minor rules. So it's not like they are little golden children, usually.

What I don't get is why 13? IF the majority of under 13 are breaking rules, or its a trend that 12 and under just don't grasp the complexities of a community, then ban for infractions or repeated unacceptable behavior. I know way too many 14 to 17 year olds that I wouldn't trust with a pocket calculator much less internet access.

I just feel badly that good kids are banned for an arbitrary age limit, not their actions.

 

[Guest]

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[sweetnpetite]

My kids love the internet and have their own online forums to hang around in.

Young son is a game whiz, daughter hangs out on writing and anime role playing sites.

Some of the sites have age requirements, some do not, and we've tried to be careful with their sign-ups.

Son has been handling his games for years, even when he could barely type words for his characters. It's very funny when he has to tell his buddies he has to stop playing so he can go to bed and they say, "How old are you?" He'd been kicking their butts for hours, they assumed he was much older. Anyway.

Daughter's favorite site was updating and they requested everyone's information again. She was honest, gave her age, and then found out to her dismay that they banned her because now they want participants to be 13.

Her account is on hold until she's 13. She has awhile to go. All her friends she's had for more than a year, all her writings, all of her artwork, all of that is gone - she can't reach it.

SO - I signed up an account for me and she can play on my account. It still isn't activated, but it soon will be, and she'll have to start over on that site. And through google she's found a few of her friends on other sites or through My Space accounts. (So now she has a My Space, too).

But dang it. What a lot of hassle.

And all I could think was, too bad she didn't lie about her age in the first place.



(I'm a bad mommy.)

I had the same problem w/ my daughter in AWANA (a church program). She wanted to be in it and she was 1 year too young. Even though her brother was old enough, he didn't sit still, he didn't behave and so forth. She was an angel and she was good at memorizing the verses and everything that she was supposed to do. We could have lied about her age and said she was just 1 year older... but I felt bad having her lie at church. I sort of wish I had just had her lie though, becuase it was really stupid that she couldn't go and her brother could. the next year the church changed the program they did and you had to be ANOTHER year older! so she missed out again.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

What I don't get is why 13? IF the majority of under 13 are breaking rules, or its a trend that 12 and under just don't grasp the complexities of a community, then ban for infractions or repeated unacceptable behavior. I know way too many 14 to 17 year olds that I wouldn't trust with a pocket calculator much less internet access.

I just feel badly that good kids are banned for an arbitrary age limit, not their actions.

It's something to do with internet contracts. I don't know why the line was chosen at 13, but it is.