Kids in M areas. A scripted solution?

If they're under age, they do not have the legal capability to enter into any kind of a contractual arrangement by law. This puts the ENTIRE responsibility for what they're exposed to directly in the laps of Linden Labs, so yes, they sure as hell CAN sue, and so can their parents.

Also, who say's kids cant get hold of a Credit Card. in todays age of give credit now ask questions later i wouldn't be surprised If a 13 year old could a apply for a card and get one.

When i was 16 I opened a new bank account as i was starting a new job, 3 days later a visa credit card with £500 limit landed on my doormat even thou 1) the bank knew my age as i didn't lie when i filled in the form for the new account 2) I never asked for a Credit Card but a debit card (back then i was buying stuff on-line and a silly cash point card wouldn't do).

And even if you said OK you got to use a Credit Card I've known friends who before they where 18 using their folks cards on-line and some adults (Me for one) who dont like having a credit card (I got rid of mine about 4 years ago, and imo was the best thing i ever did). i've got friends who owe thousands of pounds on thier credit cards and are now finding it hard to pay it back.

Like Drink, ciggerttes, movies and most things in life... you start telling people they cant do something, they will start wanting to do it and a few will pull it off.


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Just read this back and it makes little sense to me.

The basic point i am trying to say is. Where there is a will, There is a way.
We don't give enogh credit to little people, but you got to remember what they lack in experience they make up in being dam cleaver gits at times.


just my thoughts anyways - that is all

If this were the case, why not just tell a kid to lie about his age to get into SL. Then, go to a porn club then sue LL? It would have happened already.

I don't worry about the legal side. I'm just fed up with all other MMORPGs where the customer base seems to get younger year by year (or perhaps I'm just getting too old myself). I simply don't want to be surrounded by minors.

I'm way beyond the age where it seems like fun to damage public phone booths or blow up someone's mailbox - or to do the equivalent of such griefplay in online games. I've reached the age where I just wish public phones would work and the kids would leave my mailbox alone, in RL as well as in virtual worlds. Not saying every teenager behaves like that, but have a look at a game like World of Warcraft and then compare the overall behaviour to the adult communites of games like Sociolotron or (formerly) SL, you'll clearly see a difference.

I don't want to have to be careful what I say or emote or how I dress (in mature areas). I don't want to worry about the possible age of cybersex partners. That's why I play an adult game. I also don't want to censor my displays, advertisements and wares. I don't want to deal with a dozen IM's each day, explaining people why they can't get into my shop with a "no payment info" account. I don't want to move my air castle (with air dungeon) back to the ground again, because this access restriction doesn't work at such heights. If everyone was able to look through walls in RL, I'd worry there too.

As for credit cards at an age of 16: I wouldn't say anything about a few 16 year old persons playing SL. But anyone below that age surely doesn't behave mature. And thankfully it's pretty improbable that anyone below 16 gets hold of a credit card, not without the consent of their parents. So there'd be an easy way to ensure that at least no 12 year old kid gets access to an adult game like SL, but with the current registration method it's easily possible.

I think over 18 means over 18. I don't think it means 16 as long as you act like you're 18. Heck, there are 40 year olds who don't act 18 yet.

I don't think a credit card guarantees much these days, especially with credit card fraud, kids having access to a parents credit card and kids being able to get credit cards early in life.
Being in Canada we don't have the debit credit cards yet. (Credit card linked to bank account) and I'm not sure at what age those are available to people. IMO anything with a visa or mastercard logo on it should be restricted to people over 18 years of age, whether its linked to a bank account or is an actual credit card. If a 12 year old can walk into a bank with a parent, sign up for a bank account and get a debit credit card then it stands to reason that we can have 12 year olds on the adult grid who have "legitimate credit cards".

It was suggested that we should open the grid to everybody and let the parents decide whether their children should have access to an adult game with adult content. If I thought that all parents would actually responsibly monitor their kids and make informed decisions about such games I would say sure. But since I know that there are parents out there that do not know what their child is doing from one second to the next I think it is almost impossible to open the grid to everybody, regardless of age, and do it safely.

While I agree that a parent cannot monitor their 15 or 16 year old every second, Second Life is a game which requires a download. It is an installed program on the computer. There is no way to hide this. All one needs to do is check the Start Menu or the main drive on the computer to see whether the game is installed or not. If you find the game installed on your computer then you have the right to ask how the child gained access and what they are doing in the game.

There are also parental control programs available to parents. Parents don't have to give full access to their children. Parents can limit how much control a child has over a computer, including whether or not a child can install a program on the computer.

Computers are designed to be secure and a smart, informed parent can control what happens on the computer and even keep a history of what sites their child visits. There is no need to monitor your teenager 24/7 with programs and security like this.

Now, for those who may misread this, I am not suggesting spying on your teenager. I am suggesting being open and honest, showing your teenager that you are monitoring their activities and setting rules and limits around computer usage and in this day and age that does include which MMORPG's a child/teenager can and cannot play. A teenager that doesn't like the rules doesn't have to use the computer.

Much like knowing what shows are on tv and which ones are suitable a parent must be computer literate and make informed decisions about websites and games. Saying my child knows more than I do is no longer acceptable. A parent must learn how to keep up to their child and make sure their children are safe. If the parent doesn't know enough to keep their child safe, then maybe buying the child a computer isn't a good idea, particularly if the parent isn't able to monitor the child's activities whether physically or with monitoring and security software.