Child Avatars: Legal or Illegal in SL????

I really need some clarification from someone who actually knows. So maybe one or more of you can help me.

I remember shortly after I joined Second Life, there was this big to-do over child avatars and making them illegal due to, as I understood it, pedophilia-related issues.

However, I have been looking around more and more recently and have found not only child avatars and child clothing stores, but also child playgrounds, adoption agencies, schools, day cares...you name it. I've come down in the middle of 20-30 kid avatars ranging from toddler age to 10 or 12 years old, all real avatars, not those baby avatars you can buy if you wanna have a kid in SL.

So my question is: Are they or are they not illegal in SL?

For example, what if I want to run an event at my club for kid avatars, just like I might run a dance event for nekos or bikinis or Best in Black? Can I do that without getting shut down by LL or am I opening myself up for certain disaster?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Legal!

Although, realistically, any "child" events, should be PG rated or less.

Legal, now drop it.

You cannot BE a child in SL (i.e. under 18 in RL) and you are not allowed to depict sex with someone dressed up like one.

You can certainly display yourself as a child, just as you can as a dragon, fox, or toaster.

Just because someone's dressed like a child doesn't mean they're looking for sex. Strange how that's become the way people think of it.

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The short answer is no, it is not a violation of any SL rule merely to have a child avatar.

You are referring to the controversy over sexual ageplay. The official word on it is here:

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/11/13/clarification-of-policy-disallowing-ageplay/

Cue a hundred-post thread...
Child avatars are perfectly legal and within ToS. Just don't get them near anything sexual.

Sexualizeed ageplay involving child avatars is not allowed.

Child avatars themselves are absolutely fine.

Child avatars are fine, some people really dislike then though so you could possibly loose business to that.

I would make sure that prior to your event your club has been swept of any "adult" items and keep it a fun time for your target (IE: very young) audience.

Child avatars are allowed under the Terms of Service. Sexual activities involving child avatars, known as Sexual Ageplay is not.

Here's a handy link: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Marianne_McCann/Child_Avatars

As for doing an event... bear in mind that a large number of child avatars are off at camp right now inworld. As such, I'd suggest not running such an event until at least after the 25th.

Mari

*Being* in a child avatar is, in itself, no more illegal than it is to be a real child in the city of Amsterdam. Lots of adults like to do regressive age play that has no sexual aspects, and that is fine. A kids camp, elementary school, or adoption agency is perfectly legal in SL, as long as it isn't used as a front for a sexualy-oriented activity.

Using a child avatar in a sexual situation (IE: Simulating pedophilia, even though all the participants are adults in RL), is against the current rules in SL, and can get you in trouble, because in some countries, even a cartoon portrayal of child porn is an illegal act. Just as a real child isn't allowed in an Amsterdam house of ill repute, a childf avatar (even if operated by a RL adult) is not permitted to engage in simulated pixel sex or to be present in close proximity to simulated pixel sex in SL.

As for the event, if your club normally has strippers and/or escorts, they would all have to be off-duty during the event. Like holding a "Family Night" at what is normally an over-21-only tavern or restaurant.

If the club is normally just a social venue, with no strippers, escorts, or Adult-themed content on-site, then having an event there for kid avatars is just fine.

As long as your location or event does nothing to sexualize the child avatars, you're safe. If anyone has ever been to a RL HOG event, Poker Run, Sturgis, and so on... You would realize that having children around mature events and behavior is not all that weird. Sure, it's not "distilled for your safety" life. But, I myself grew up around the leather clad ones all my life. (^_^)

For you own sake, make sure any mature poseballs/furnishing is put away as those are the items that put the presence of kid avatars at their highest risk. I frequent parties that are "all-AV" friendly and they include events like Barely There, Thong Night, Pajama Party, and the such and I'm never left out. The events are always judged for prize monies and the activity is always dancing, chatting, and trivial quiz questions. (^_^)

Anyone that knows me inworld is well aware of my collar, armclaw, spiked boots, and wild outfits. I've been relatively unafraid to run around in primsuits. And, I've even had a good talkin' to by a Linden when I pushed the limit for Valentine's day. They're all standards of mine that I'm not always willing to give up. To date, I've never actually been judged on the basis of my appearance except the once-in-a-while comment on how cute I am. =^-^=

So, really, judge the content of your event based on your desired audience. (^_^)y

Gosh, has it really been that long since we covered all of this?

It just goes to show... Putting policy in the blog is pretty darn meaningless. (=_=)

It's on the topic rotation schedule! I think we're really due for a Gor conversation soon...or perhaps the 'Yiffing; Bestiality or Not?' one.

Unfortunately, LL made some badly worded blog posts where they confused the terms "ageplay" (which is permitted) with "sexual ageplay" (which isn't), and hence caused a lot of confusion which is yet to completely die down...

Matthew

Seems to me most Adults in SL do "regressive age play" i've yet to meet anyone over 40 ... and have met an amazing amount of 29 year olds.....

I was about to defend Linden Lab, in that the blog post that states the official Second Life policy does specifically make the distinction about "sexual ageplay" in the text of the policy. (And I take it as the official policy, because it's the blog post to which one is directed when searching for the ageplay policy in the Second Life Knowledgebase.)

However, as I was making the post, I noted that the title of the blog post stating the official policy does not make the distinction about "sexual." (The title: "Clarification of Policy Disallowing 'Ageplay.'"

So, if one were looking for the official policy, and then saw the title of the blog post stating official policy, it would seem that all "Ageplay," sexual or not, is disallowed.

Yep. I'll bet most SL Players who in RL are over 30 shave at least a few years off the appearance of their avatar. There is a distinct lack of elderly or even middle-aged avatars in SL.

In general, society and mainstream media make it seem that all the fun stuff happens between the ages of 18 and 29, when in fact, those over that age may have just as youthful an outlook on life as any college Freshman. So it does not surprise me in the least that most SL avatars look like they are between the ages of 18 and 29, and that it is, in fact, somewhat difficult to make a realistic and yet pleasant to look at avatar that seems older than that.

I've tried very hard to make an attractive avatar that appears 39ish. It's tough to do.

The default geometry is more geared to adults in their early 20s. It's difficult to use the sliders to fight the default avatar.

Skins are largely geared for adults in their 20s. Those that add some age to the skins overshoot my age target though- it seems my skin choice is either 20 years old, or 60 years old.

And then the vast majority of clothing is geared for a youthful set, especially women's clothing. Bared navels do not convey a woman in her 39+s.

I have found that every single detail of my avatar appearance has to be geared toward some sort of archetypal vision of a 40-year-old woman, or I just can't pull it off. Just the most innocuous deviation ruins the attempt. (I had to lose my short ponytail in SL because ponytails just seem to say, to most people, I'm a youngster.)

Something I asked them to clarify many times, but was completely rebuffed. To Linden Lab, "Ageplay" specifically means sexual activities using child avatars.

Mari

Never heard it was illigal.
They just cant go into mature sims most of the time.
And cant go into most clubs.

Though it is illigal to have a child avatar do sexual acts. Thats veryilligal and very gross.

But it seems legal to have a child avatar and wear it.

I swear we have done this 'child' topic (and probably gambling) at least 5 times since the last 'yiffing/beastiality' or 'is it cheating' thread. Maybe we need to start one of those ourselves just so we ensure it rotates in properly.

we did gor about a week ago maybe 2 it's Yiffings turn

i was going to do a Yiffing pun but desided aginst it

Yes...we go over this and other topics many times. But we may have some new folks who are truly just wondering. Its a valid question, and I think the forum has answered it well. I believe all questions should be welcomed..but after answered...we should let the thread die and go on to answer and help others.

Noooo, please don't say that, look what happened to the last post, 24,000+ responses!!! LOL