Is it moral to allow those less than 18 years of age on Fluther to access NSFW threads?

In that case, you can consider me as a too-disgusting-to-live, since I first had access to a NSFW thread (I’m talking about the internet in general) when I was 15, and access to NSFW things in general when I was 13.

Yes, it’s moral. If someone has a problem with it they should quit writing NSFW threads.

Well the difference between a porno mag and Fluther is that Fluther does not orient itself on one single subject matter, like the porno magazine does. It may have touchy subjects, but since that’s not all it is, the NSFW tag does its job accordingly. Of course the kids will look, but they’ll also look at the porn mag. You can’t lock and hide everything forever, especially not to teens only a few years away from being legal to everything.

Is it moral to create a NSFW thread, knowing that minors will access it? toddlercon tattoo *cough *

I was watching men simulate very steamy sex with each other on TV at the age of 15. I wasn’t traumatized. I was in chat rooms talking to people about sex well before that. The NSFW questions here are very rarely so raunchy that I’d say a teenager shouldn’t see it. By the age of 13, these kids know more than you think.

There’s a kid in my 10-year-old niece’s class that likes to call girls “cunts.” How the hell does a kid that young know that word? The probable answer: other kids.

@Symbeline Well the difference between a porno mag and Fluther is that Fluther does not orient itself on one single subject matter, like the porno magazine does
I covered that loosely in the details, I knew someone was going to bring up the fact that porn has it’s specific goal, even though it may have many faces though not as much as NSFW questions would have here.

It may have touchy subjects, but since that’s not all it is, the NSFW tag does its job accordingly.
Yeah, it may keep you from getting fired, but as far as keeping adult content from doing whatever it would do to minors, it has no affect.

You can’t lock and hide everything forever, especially not to teens only a few years away from being legal to everything.
That is the rub, no one knows that for sure. There is no vetting process to determine if anyone is lying when setting up an account. I bet some Jellies are no more than 11yr. or 12. All they have to do is say they are at least the min. age to set up an account, then do it. It is not about hiding everything, innocuous searches on a search engine can bring up content that kids in my day would not have access to even if you knew where the stash of dirty mags were in the garage. I was just curious as to how or who would view it as immoral to basically provide adult content to kids, even if unwittingly. If it were firearms no one would leave the gun cabinet unlocked even if the rifles were empty and the ammo locked up. Some of what goes on in NSFW threads I am sure is not spoken off around the dinner table or in the living room during commercials.

@ragingloli Is it moral to create a NSFW thread, knowing that minors will access it? toddlercon tattoo *cough *
Maybe not if I were the gatekeeper; which I am not. To create a NSFW thread has no moral or immoral attributes unless I am advocating something immoral such as how to cheat your spouse, etc. Second, I don’t know what toddlercon is. The pic I found with the tattoo did not come from there, as the Web goes; many images have a way of ending up on numerous sites in spite of its origin. Third, it was a subject that could be followed easily in this place; it was not my 1st choice.

@livelaughlove21 I wasn’t traumatized.
It is not about being traumatized or not.

The NSFW questions here are very rarely so raunchy that I’d say a teenager shouldn’t see it.
They can do more than see it, they can participate. Which NSFW questions should minors engage themselves in with adults? If the same conversation about use of sex toys, making anal sex better, etc. be as OK at the coffee shop, the bus top, or the fast food joint? Would parents be OK with their ”li’l pumpkin” talking to some 22 year old stranger about what is the best lube for a tight vagina?

By the age of 13, these kids know more than you think.
I know they know way more than society thinks they do; it is society as a whole who has their head in the sand. It is society that wants to believe that minors or sexually ignorant and stupid; I know better, madam cowgirl. ;-)

I think this thread should be move to social. Just saying.

I think the Internet is a vast wasteland and Fluther only one small part of it. If parents want to control what their children are viewing, they must put filters on the computer or keep it in a public room. As a site, we can’t police what viewers are doing.

We are not a site that focuses only on adult content, so requiring users to be 18 isn’t necessary. It is up to parents to be aware of what their children are doing. If we catch someone under 13, their account is banned and they are told to come back when they are 13. I don’t think there is anything wrong with minors being able to participate in discussions. Some of them don’t have people they trust to talk about these things. For the most part, users here a great about recognizing a younger user and guiding them appropriately. If minor wants to get involved in adult content, there are other sites out there that would give them more information than Fluther does.

@Hypocrisy_Central Would parents be OK with their ”li’l pumpkin” talking to some 22 year old stranger about what is the best lube for a tight vagina?

If not, they should be monitoring their child’s Internet use. That’s their problem, not ours.

@Hypocrisy_Central It’s possible to make websites exclusive, so that actual information be verified before joining. This usually applies to business or training sites. For example if you’re studying something like pathology, there are a lot of sites created by the schools, but you or I cannot get passed the front page without authorization from the webmaster. So when it really counts, things will get hidden away.
As for the morality issue, thing is I don’t really see NSFW stuff here, for example, as much of an issue. I’m more confused things like how in the United States, a man can go to war before he’s even allowed to drink.

@Symbeline For example if you’re studying something like pathology, there are a lot of sites created by the schools, but you or I cannot get passed the front page without authorization from the webmaster.
Years ago when I took an online class if we did not have a special account set up we could not post or access or classwork. It can be done, it was not done here for some reason, maybe the founders did not think there would be as much adult content here or many young Flutheronians.

As for the morality issue, thing is I don’t really see NSFW stuff here, for example, as much of an issue. I’m more confused things like how in the United States, a man can go to war before he’s even allowed to drink.
The first part of your question, you have to dig in the archives and you will find enough NSFW threads to choke a large T-Rex. The second part can simply be put, here in the US we are hyporcits and frauds, no matter how open, enlightened or liberal we as a nation claim to be.

Whether we think it is immoral or not is immaterial. Whether or not kids under 18 are exposed to NSFW stuff is the parents’ call, it isn’t up to Fluther to censor content.

I agree, the only way to monitor this kind of a thing is for parents to take control. I heard the other day, that the UK wanted to have an 18 verification code on loads of things to do with the internet. Meaning, the user had to submit proof of age before access is allowed.

Sadly, most parents are hooked on the net, so it is a vicious circle.

A massive population of children around 15 and 16 are addicted to porn sites here. It’s really sad and very telling of a bigger problem than the actual porn they are watching.

@FlyingWolf Whether or not kids under 18 are exposed to NSFW stuff is the parents’ call, it isn’t up to Fluther to censor content.
Parent’s call is regulated in many ways, just because Fluther has no mechanism to deal with what some parents ignore to apathy, being too busy, or lackadaisical parenting style, doesn’t give it an automatic thumbs up.

@LornaLove A massive population of children around 15 and 16 are addicted to porn sites here. It’s really sad and very telling of a bigger problem than the actual porn they are watching.
How else are they supposed to know how to do what the media and peers are telling they should be chasing every moment? If they spend too much time in the science class or the math lab instead of hooking up with cheerleaders under the bleachers they will be social losers. ~~

If they see it on the screen, eventually they will attempt it in real live, often with dire consequences.

@Hypocrisy_Central If they see it on the screen, eventually they will attempt it in real live, often with dire consequences.

Wrong.

^ If you say so….

Well I’d have to agree with @LornaLove, in some cases. For example I watched violent horror movies from a very young age. While I knew it to be fiction, I was amazed in ways only a kid can be amazed.

But I’ve never tried to kill anyone, or otherwise recreate what I saw in stuff like Halloween II or Child’s Play 3.

However, there are enough cases that show that some kids will try and recreate what they see in movies or games, unfortunately. I would not dismiss HC’s claim so fast. I know I veered off topic a bit, but I thought it was relevant. and by this I mean younger children, not teenagers. :/

@Symbeline But I’ve never tried to kill anyone, or otherwise recreate what I saw in stuff like Halloween II or Child’s Play 3.
Why would you? First off, it is illegal to harm or kill someone. If you tried to do anything Jason or Chucky did, you would end up in prison more than likely; that is not enjoyable to most. Second, the media is not using axe murder to sell you everything imaginable. Though it may be illegal to sell porn to minors, or give it to them, there is really no downside for the minor to view it after they obtain it, no matter how they obtained it. Coupled with that fact that the media and such tells them boinking is fun, enjoyable, and desired; far superior than stabbing an ice pick through someone’s skull. And since there is no real penalty for them to do so, why not try and do it?

@Hypocrisy_Central Yeah I know, I was slightly off topic. But to get back to the original thing, this here;

And since there is no real penalty for them to do so, why not try and do it?

I understand what you mean by the media; it certainly is influential when it comes to sex and gender roles. Thing is I wish people wouldn’t blame it all the time, because sex is something that, for centuries, people have been doing and experimenting with. We never needed a second agent to push it on us. Even back when the church ruled with an iron fist and everything short of going to the bathroom was illegal, it didn’t stop folks from doing the dirty.

So people WILL do it, whether or not we have Penthouse magazines. Good point about the horror movies thing though. But it does go to show that, DESPITE what I’m saying, people can easily be influenced. Here’s a story I heard before. In Africa, in some places they have nothing; no movies, TV’s or video games, the culture is NOT like ours. What happened was, some people got a hold of a VCR, TV and a couple of movies. American Ninja. Forget which, there’s more than one, but not important. Anyways after seeing the movie, a kid ended up killing his brother after trying to reenact what he saw in the movie. The community quickly banned the TV and movies after that.