No Kids in the Main Grid: Redux

Expired gift cards still are limited in number, and 99% of minors don't have them. That's a pretty big percentage if you ask me!

I've been IM'd by two separate teens since this policy went into effect who had been moved to the teen grid then banned, while the other had left voluntarily, to say, "Hello, I'm back!". I used to take the time to AR this, as they had clearly gone out of their way to lie and break the rules and circumvent the age verification.

I don't think I'm going to bother any more, as its not my job to policing this;

Please reconsider, Linden Lab. We're already a grey-goo attack and a flood of minors down; stop the bleeding.

There are indeed under 18 folks who are mature and responsible as well as over 18 folks who need a spanking and a time out. In a perfect world we could have a maturity filter, but since many of us live in a very litigious and paranoid and puritanical U.S., I don't want to have to risk the legal crap.

So Linden Labs, please pull your collective heads out of whatever place you'e stuck them. One rabid Congressman or fundie parents group and you can spend your investment $$ defending lawsuits while looking for new jobs.

There are ... over 18 folks who need a spanking and a time out.

So Linden Labs, please pull your collective heads out of whatever place you'e stuck them. One rabid Congressman or fundie parents group and you can spend your investment $$ defending lawsuits while looking for new jobs.

How, clearly? By the TOS, it actually is your job, and all of ours; knowingly concealing a teen's age can (and should) result in action by LL. (So that they don't get sued.)

2.2 You must be 13 years of age or older to access Second Life; minors over the age of 13 are only permitted in a separate area, which adults are generally prohibited from using. Linden Lab cannot absolutely control whether minors or adults gain unauthorized access to the Service.

You must be at least 13 years of age to participate in the Service. Users under the age of 18 are prohibited from accessing the Service other than in the area designated by Linden Lab for use by users from 13 through 17 years of age (the "Teen Area". Users age 18 and older are prohibited from accessing the Teen Area. Any user age 18 and older who gains unauthorized access to the Teen Area is in breach of this Agreement and may face immediate termination of any or all Accounts held by such user for any area of the Service.

By accepting this agreement in connection with an Account outside the Teen Area, you represent that you are an adult 18 years of age or older. By accepting this agreement in connection with an Account for use in the Teen Area, you represent that (i) you are at least 13 years of age and less than 18 years of age; (ii) you have read and accept this Agreement; (iii) your parent or legal guardian has consented to you having an Account for use of the Teen Area and participating in the Service, and to providing your personal information for your Account; and (iv) your parent or legal guardian has read and accepted this Agreement.

Linden Lab cannot absolutely control whether minors gain access to the Service other than the Teen Area, and makes no representation that users outside the Teen Area are not minors. Linden Lab cannot absolutely control whether adults gain access to the Teen Area of the Service, and makes no representation that users inside the Teen Area are not adults. Adult employees, contractors and partners of Linden Lab regularly conduct their work in the Teen Area. Linden Lab cannot ensure that other users will not provide Content or access to Content that parents or guardians may find inappropriate or that any user may find objectionable.

Reporting Abuse
Residents should report violations of the Community Standards using the Abuse Reporter tool located under the Help menu in the in-world tool bar. Every Abuse Report is individually investigated, and the identity of the reporter is kept strictly confidential. If you need immediate assistance, in-world Liaisons may be available to help. Look for Residents with the last name Linden.

There are indeed under 18 folks who are mature and responsible as well as over 18 folks who need a spanking and a time out. In a perfect world we could have a maturity filter, but since many of us live in a very litigious and paranoid and puritanical U.S., I don't want to have to risk the legal crap.

So Linden Labs, please pull your collective heads out of whatever place you'e stuck them. One rabid Congressman or fundie parents group and you can spend your investment $$ defending lawsuits while looking for new jobs.

...now lets say mommy walks up behind Johnny while hes watching aves having sex or hes watching that video.
now mommy is a very Internet and computer savvy women she immediately begins screen capturing everything johnny is watching.
then burns it on to a DVD and then drops it off at her very expensive lawyers office

this situation could spell the end of second life as we know it.

Would mommy be investigated for allowing her 10 year old access to this kind of material?

Would mommy be investigated for allowing her 10 year old access to this kind of material?

Last time I checked, I had to be 18 to beable to watch a porn movie. When did this change?

It did not change but those kinds of things are available in second life and the movie was just an example. There is plenty of other kinds of mature themed material in SL that would be just as bad and Easily accessible by any one.
and regardless of my examples i gave witch were on the extreme side this is still a very real possibility.

Not all of SL is porn, though. Heck, I wouldn't even say MOST of it is. I've only seen one or two areas dedicated to it, and then a few areas where a small portion of it COULD be adult, but also had other things going on.
I'd go so far as to say that, for the majority of teens, I'm more worried about them developing gambling habits.

Circumventing by using a credit card that is not their own is clearly circumventing an age verification system.

Knowingly concealing would mean I have proof the two who IM'd me are teens; I don't have definitive proof that would stand up in court. Can you show me the part of the ToS where it says if I suspect an avatar may be a teen in SL, I must notify Linden Lab? All I see is this:




"Should", not "must"... and definitely not "you'll get in trouble unless you decide to Abuse Report a ToS violation".

For all I know, the avatars could be age-playing. But rather than reporting it for further Linden investigation, I may now choose not to fill out an Abuse Report. Nowhere in the ToS does it state that you must ever fill out an Abuse Report; its voluntary. My point being here, that I think it kind of sucks that LL is saying, "Well, since some minors got on the grid anyway, and we relied on Live Help / Mentors / good citizens to weed out the few, we're going to forego that and open the floodgates to help improve our bottom line, now relying on the same good citizens / volunteers to be a police force." That really sucks. I don't think it was LL's intention, but that's how its playing out.

Regards,

-Flip

I think this sort of is their plan in a way. The only real alternative to the sewer that they are turning the main grid into is the private-run estates at this point.

The main grid could be "taken back" however though initiatives like self-government. Neualtenburg (the original one that is about to re-emerge Phoenix-like in the next few weeks ), is a place of law and of sanity.

We organise ourselves as our own community and have rules against underage players, public displays of pornography etc. and more to the point WE ENFORCE THOSE RULES. Other communities do the same thing. If you want to live in a community where greifers get punished and teens are banished and every building doesn't have a giant porno ad on the side, you have to create that community. (or move to Neualtenburg ).

LL is clearly just giving up.

The only recourse we have is such self organisation. The (non-organised) sections of the main grid are doomed to remain the cess-pool the rest of the internet has become.

I have played SL for a year now, and im shocked at half the sick content I have come across, something i would not want any children to see. There's men playing women AV's cybering with other men and women without telling them that their really men, theres people getting scripted morgues into necrophilia, theres people roleplaying impailements, excecutions, gang rapes, Slavery... And while us adults can decide to stay away from that, is it something we want our childrens exposed to?