Age Verification - 6th Circuit says unconstitutional.

I'M not interested in your kids. So please keep them off SL.

Are you trying to start a flame war because you disagree? Or because age verification would mean you can't access the grid anymore?

Let's keep the conversation mature, ok?

Just because many have the opinion that its the parents responsible for what their kids see, does not mean they want children to see adult content on the grid.

They just think the responsibility for what children see belongs with the parents.

We don't stop parents from keeping alcohol in their house. And we wouldn't blame Miller if a kid got drunk. We'd blame the kid, and his parents.

You'd blame a store for selling alcohol to a kid, but on the internet the access is provided at the back of the computer. So the store keeper in this case would be the one who gives the kid access to the internet.



However, we don't blame McDonalds if there is a car jacking in their parking lot.

---------------

Any Age verification system that attempts to shift responsibility from the parents onto the web hosting provider is flawed.

I also don't see how keeping minors out of Second Life is going to keep them away from the content that we don't want them to see.

They can access Porn pictures and movies all over the net without any age verification / On Google images they don't even have to lie and say they are 18.

They can go to all sorts of chat rooms and talk to all sorts of people we don't want them to talk to.

Age Verification for Second Life isn't going to protect anyone except those In Second Life from exposing a minor to that content.

-----------

I'm not against Age Verification.

I'm not even as against IDV as it is prosposed as many of you are.

I just think its red tape thats not really going to solve the real issues.

Well, I have to say I was surprised to read this... lol

I am not looking for Linden Labs to take responsibility for other people's kids. I am looking for Linden Labs to do their part to help the overall situation, by making it more difficult for kids to access the grid.

This will help kids from getting onto the grid without their parent's knowledge, as we all know some of them do. With all of the publicity SL is getting, there will only be more kids coming to the door. And age verification will help protect people who are "naughty" in SL from being accused of things like being a sexual predator of children because they poseballed a minor without realizing it.

There is another solution too...

LL could remove the ability to have attachments with avatars, remove all mature content, and ban sexual activity. Then there is no need to check anyone's age. Would you all prefer that?

Or LL could (as they did last year) tell everyone they are responsible for their own kids and only use a "over 18" check-box.

They could even go farther and not even require an email or a RL name (fake or otherwise)

I bet that would make the people who want easy access to children very, very happy.

Maybe IDV isn't such a bad idea afterall...

I doubt people wanting access to children concentrate on Second Life.

When they have places like MySpace with a LOT more active people, with huge number actively admitting the fact they are under 18.

Oh I don't know... the issue with simulated child-rape which got LL in some hot water seems to indicate there is an interest by some.

Those people were Adults though.

54 and 27 I believe.

------------------

Some people I used to know were into Sexual Age Play - liked to pretend to be teenage japanese school girls, both are single men in their 30's

I find sexual Age Play very distasteful and disassociated with them and the guy they were involved with.

I got a few people at Glow mad at me because i spoke out against Sexual Age Play there and banned someone for trying to find a "Auntie" at Tiger Lily's

But all the cases I heard of people being involved in that stuff everyone involved were adults in First Life.

Which is exactly the opposite of what they are doing. Opening the floodgates allowed kids in. A system that allows kids to verify as adults is far worse than what we have now.



That would not make a difference at all. People on Myspace aren't allowed to show naughty pics but I'd wager more adults have contact with kids there than do here.

Yes, thats the thing.

The naughty pics and the poseballs and the avatar nudity isn't the scary part about the net.

The scary part is some creep will prey on your child. They don't need anything pornographic, virtual or otherwise, to do that.

If they like the image of sexualized children... whether or not the person wearing the child av is an adult, there is a problem there.

People who are attracted to virtual children, and can find pleasure in exploring sexuality with virtual children, don't seem that far away from looking for a real one.

Problem sure, I can see that.

-----------------
However that problem is unrelated to the claim they could be using Second Life as a means to access children.

And it is unrelated to any implication that Age Verification would somehow reduce Sexual Ageplay in Second Life.

As far as anyone has been able to asses there are no Underage SL players who were ever involved in Sexual Ageplay in Secondlife before it was banned.

If anyone had data to the contrary I think it would have been a big enough deal someone would have brought it up.

What I am saying is even if you are right, they would log off SL and go to MySpace or somewhere similar.

So what is your point? That nothing should be done to keep kids off the main grid? One post, you say you are not against age verification, and the next you say its pointless...

Can you please clarify your position on the subject?

I am not against age verifcation

And Age verification is pointless.

You and I are going to have to agree to disagree here and let the topic drop for now.

K, which part are we agreeing to disagree on? The me not being against it part, or the pointless part?

I disagree that age verification is pointless.

I think if it has a point then Congress should pass a law spelling out a way to do this, and require US sites or ISPs to comply.

For example one possibility:

All ISPs could require a password upon logging onto the internet. The ISP will provide a seperate password for the parents and children.

It would time out if there was no activity for 30 minutes.

Thus if the kids logged in and accessed adult content the parent must have been careless with the password.

The child version of the password would not be able to access adult material. All US sites would be required to have a rating that the ISP's software could pick up on.

the minimum age for kids to participate in unmonitored chat rooms and IM programs would be raised from 14 to 18.

Other countries would be given the information so they could voluntarily participate.

--------
this is just brainstorming, but if the goal is really to protect children , then its going to take something approximately this encompasing.

There's no system to implement age verification and make it effective as a means to protecting children.

This process has just exemplified this, the age verification process is actually weaker than what was already in place.

Exactly if the child has unrestricted access to get to www.secondlife.com in the first place, how is Linden Labs gonna "save them".

And round and round we go...

I think we've pretty much established that I disagree with the idea that age verification is pointless, I've explained why I think so more times than I care to count. Numerous replies have come back explaining why people think age verification is pointless.

As of now, neither side has convinced the other of anything. I do know, that I am walking away from this conversation for now, as I am tired of repeating myself.

You know when Hitler died, they never REALLY verified his Identity

I'm beginning to think they should change your last name to Godwin, hun.