Why do people not report underage operating on the grid?

This age play incident was reported to Linden Lab today:

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Event happening September 18:

- Kid avatar approached by male avatar who invites avatar to go and look at horses

- Kid avatar teleported out of infohub to a location where male avatar makes an attempt to engage in sexual age play with the kid avatar (chat log submitted)

Facts:

- Investigation shows person behind kid avatar is a 13 years old girl living with female parent

- Female parent lets daughter operate in SL "under supervision"

- Female parent is also mother in virtual SL family

- Male virtual parent knows the kid avatar has a RL age of 13 without reporting it

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Here we have a virtual family knowingly letting a RL kid operate on the grid, and status after a month on the grid is that the kid has actively been tricked into a sexual age play situation.

My question is, why - why do parents, and what supposedly is adult people, knowingly let underage operate on the grid, and not stop or report them?

Some people at the infohub must have known too.
The kid avatar had set home there and it must have been pretty obvious to the offender the person behind the avatar was underage given he was engaging in, and almost succeeding in such a simple trick. Why did not anyone report the avatar as being underage or the person trying to trick the kid?

The first two - well, the first of those looks innocuous as it reads (sometimes a cigar is just a cigar), and the second makes me (and no doubt others reading this thread) wonder which avatar you were to be aware of a solicitation of that nature since these are usually done in discretion.

You also refer to child avatars in the first two instances, which is not the same as a minor being left alone to play SL on daddy and mommy's computer. Just having a child avatar is NOT grounds for an AR and is NOT age play.

And how reliable is your investigation short of crawling through the monitor to see who's there? Linden Lab could not have that ability, and they have more access to legally trace the connection to their ISP.

It was an account set up as a child avatar for the kid to use. The parent had a separate account.

Since you have all the details... YOU report it. I would if I did too. (^_^)

In the end, you'll either rid the grid of a RL kid or give a headache to a RPer that made a few fatal mistakes in chat. (^_^)

You DO have evidence from chat, right? (O.o)

Plenty of people don't see what they perceive as computer games as being worthy of an 18 rating. I've seen Mothers in computer stores ignoring sales assistants who point out said game is only suitable for people over the age of 18.

Must admit I'm a little uncomfortable with your said investigation mind you. Whenever I've had a hint that someone is under 18 I've AR'd it though.

So it isnt the avatar's appearance that is relevent. You were just tipped off by the parent that their kid was on the other avatar.

Yeah AR them discretely.

Oh.. And to address your questions and points...Are you saying the kid went along with it and made bouncy-bouncy with big bad guy? Or did the kid TP away? This seems to be a LOT of detail for you to have as a third party. (^_^)Some people see beyond being tattles. Mind you... I, myself, WILL report an underager the moment I'm aware of their age. But, others will just let people be. Que sera, sera. (^_^)yDefine "Obvious"... According to some, I'm an "Obvious" TOS/CS breaker... Yet, I'm still bloody here for nearly 2 years and quite public about everything I do in SL. May it be that you're mistaken about the whole thing and just chasing rumors? If and/or not... AR and leave it up to the Lindens to sort it out. (^_^)y

Just a few questions:

Did you trail them to see and hear what was going on? You seem to have a very detailed of what happened so to speak.

How do you know they went to such and such a place? And it took place.

How do you know the parents? and the "virtual" parents?

And did you yourself report it? That part was not real clear.

To begin with, let me say that I have NO idea how legitimate this particular case may or may not be. I am more interested in this general principle.

I can engage critically and with an open mind about whether or not sexualized age play between consenting adults is or is not dangerous, illegal, perverse, etc., etc., etc.

But I have absolutely NO qualms about asserting that knowingly allowing a 13 year old onto the main grid is terribly dangerous, potentially harmful, and maybe one step short of a form of child neglect and/or abuse.

Que sera, sera be f**ked. There is crap going on in SL, on the surface, and more frighteningly via IMs, that some ADULTS find traumatic and upsetting. I can't even IMAGINE the effect upon a 13 year old of being IMed with some of the highly sexual shit that I have had thrown at me by near strangers.

Any laissez-faire attitudes I may have get shot right out the window when it comes to parents or adults who would knowingly bring a real child here. Sorry if that makes me a "tattle." I'd do the same if I saw an RL kid being exposed to dangerously inappropriate material. I hope we all would.

It is both, Holocuck - making it doubly disturbing.

An adult male avatar soliciting a child avatar AND a REAL adult male soliciting a REAL child.
Please do not sugar-coat it. Virtual pedophilia is not something you 'make a mistake' and get caught doing.


I do not believe the reporter should have to justify the methods he used to get the full story and make a full report to Linden Lab. Let us not demonize the messenger. The OP is not known for witch hunting - He seemed to have gone about gathering the information in an un-biased way.
This adult man is not a 'Tattle' - a concerned adult is not making trouble for the pedophiles.

This sort of thing has been a blight on grid for several years now - Linden Lab's soft peddle rule to control these folks had very little effect (or is wearing off after two years). I believe publicizing these reports of people breaking international laws is the best way to let folks know what is going on and what is in jeopardy.

Bravo Gavin.

Oh here we go, the bear infohub warrior arrives to save the world.

I'm curious if this is hear say or if you were aware of them doing this the whole time..

The child and the parents should be taken off the grid in a case like that in my opinion..

"Why do people not report underage operating on the grid?" Good question.

Since I do not know the OP I think I asked very good questions, to find out how he found out about it. I am not demonizing anyone. And as far as witch hunting I again state I do not know the OP so again I asked the questions.

What if we just dont give 2 sh1ts one way or the other???


Lets see.... children shooting & being shot in foreign countries every day. Why should SL be anything that would "disturb" them??

OH NOES!!! KIDS ON DA GRID!!!! MUCH WORSE than some kid in a foreign country shooting or blowing something up!!! GAWD FORBID DEY SEE SEXING BY PIXELS!!!!

Anyone care to see pics of minors & babies killed "in action"???



OOOO!!!! These kids are REALLY worried about being pixel-sexed on SL!!!! Its at the top of their list of things to worry about!!!


Anyone care to come up with something worse???

"Cada cabeça, uma sentença" is a popular frase in Brazil. "To each head, a sentence", meaning that other people do not see things the same way as ourselves.

Normally, if I disagree but it is not offensive, illegal, dangerous, I let them doing what they seem as correct. In cases like this, a youngster playing in an adult environment like SL, I can't just let things go, but I must have proofs to AR the child and/or the parents.

LL says that rod of third parts is not acceptable, as is not confessions made outside SL, because they don't have the tools to verify.

Once it was said to me, avatar 'A' was in fact the 13 years old of avatar 'B', and they A's mother and B accord among them that it would be better A playing in the maingrid and the supervision of B. It is not sufficient proof to AR them, because it was someone else that told me that. Not being personal friend of A or B, I had no way to take first hand info about this and than AR. To my regret, I had to let things going and only was capable to wish for the best.

If the OP has the proofs, must AR all the involved immediately. If not, sorry, all we can do is moaning about the hole thing.

I agree... I did say I would AR... I'm just saying there are people who would more than ignore it. Particularly in infohubs. (^_^)y

I was more referring to someone in RP saying "I'm 13" and not qualifying it to the crowd at large as an RP age. (^_^)

No sex was assumed in my statement. (^_^)

Enjoy your favorite tangent. (^_^)y

Indeed but there are people with agendas here who are not being totally frank about their agendas.

If i have strong reason to believe someone is underage like they tell me they are( i know they can lie) I report them as well as pointing out there is a teengrid

because i do not care.
i dont make other peoples business my own.
i am not a sticky beak..

AR. Age > (Sexual) Ageplay




AR. Age > Underage on Main Grid.

Done and done.

It's not our job to "investigate" or all that stuff. In both cases, rules were broken, AR it and let the GTeam sort it out.

I also echo Ciaran Laval and Bec Sadofsky's questions.

Once a kid tells me they are under 18 in the game, i stop what i'm doing and report it immediately. I have watched many a child evaporate before my eyes.

I think what surprises me, is that most if not all of them, want to brag about it. How they get in is beyond me, sometimes i think i just wasn't sneaky enough.

This attitude sickens me. Now before you tell me this is NOT RL i am aware of that but grooming can and i would bet does go on in SL. In RL recently in my country a women was found to have been abused by her father for a long time. The women had 4 children to her father, the neighbours said that they suspected something but it was none of their business what goes on in other ppls homes.
Wow what great ppl now not only did the wife of this thing ( he is no man) not protect the daughter but several others who chose not to be "tattle tails" Sorry Rl is not some school playground and face it SL is not totally separate from RL it is connected.

You wish to turn a blind eye to such ? Lets hope if you or yours need help ppl wont turn a blind eye to you

ibtl

Understood, Immy.


LOL. When has Lias not been "totally frank" about ANYTHING?