Minors in SL having Sex. Is it ok?

Though simularly posted..I think this pertains more to the General Forum. I Pose the question. What do you think?

Blake... I think your g-string is too tight. It seems to be cutting off circulation to your brain. You goof!

It's ok....If you believe the FCC is imaginary...like Santa Claus (Yes, I said it! Mwuuuha ha ha ha!!)

Assuming by "Sex" you mean "cybersex",
considering minors are banned in SL anyway,
it's a loaded question.
Since anything they do in SL is not okay, then certainly one thing in particular is not okay.

If you instead were referring to the teen grid, which is not SecondLife but another game entirely, then it falls under US laws - in which all states have statutory rape laws.
Since different states have different laws of age of consent, for it to be anything resembling even legal, Linden Lab would have to establish a way to easily denote a person's age, state, and laws corresponding to minors having sexual contact within said state.

This would obviously be a sloppy mess and a legal nightmare.

So, no. Again, a loaded question.

The poll is sorta pointless, no? On what grounds could anyone possibly say it's okay?

Why, did you have a particular minor in mind Blake?

Yes, it's ok. As David pointed out in another thread it's a natural progression. One that parents should have a hand in as far as being open and honest with their children about the ramifications. Talk to them. Understand them. Help them to understand the responsiblitiy and effects of sexual contact.

I was 17, a late bloomer I guess. Maybe it had something to do with the fact my mom sat me down at the kitchen table when I was 13 and had a long talk with me about sex. She did not tell me I couldn't. She did not use possible parental retribution to reinforce. She outlined and then left it to me.

I see most are voting no without offering a reason. Fear and self loathing are the real problem with sex. Shut it behind a closet door and label it bad and you will be surprised when your child is one of the 1st to impregnate another child or become pregnant themself. I am speaking from experience. I watched this happen to no less than 3 of my cousins. Their parents were too hung up about sex to confront the topic (other than severe warnings) with their kids and guess what happened? When you paint something in a negative light you invite kids to test it out for themselves.

OMFG LMAO PWNED!

No seriously..there are discussions going on now about how Minors could slip into the adult grids and it could happen. Meaning Cybersex.

It's not stautory rape unless one of the participants is an adult. As the Lindens outlined that this will be a completely separate grid, only accessible to minors, I think Blake meant kids experimenting with each other.

Edit: Well now blake explained where he was going with this. Sorry for the errant response Hiro. No it's NOT ok then.

Nolan I can only speak for myself. LL said they will group them in 13-17 year olds The thought of a 13 year old with a 17 year old is wrong to me. (14 year old with an 18 year old not a hell of a lot of differnce there age wise)

Also blake didn't make it clear if it was ok to have sex with a teen on the main grid with adults or on a kiddie grid. So for me at least "worst case" he might of ment adults with kids. Of course that is not ok.

Cat

That as well..even experiementing with each other. I mean..is it better to learn it in virtual reality or in real life at that age?

I said yes. I agree with pretty much everything Nolan has said. It's not like kids aren't thinking about it 24/7 anyway. SL seems like a healthy safe place to explore their sexuality with peers. As long as it's on the teen grid with another minor.

WTF!

Boy you ppl are nieve, if you think that an adult wont be able to get into that grid.

There also you run into some problems legally...depending on the State you are in there IS a problem with a 13 and a 17 year old engaging in sex, and can lead to charges of statutary rape. In V.A. and S.C. I think the rule is a four year difference in ages.

It may be wrong to you or me, but it's not to most if not all US states. Frowned upon, probably. Illegal no. A lot of states have marriage laws which you may be surpised about, as far as teh required age. And Cat, I have to ask you; where you grew up was this all that uncommon? (13-17 yr. olds having sex) It wasn't where I grew upand I think you are being a little naive to be honest. I would also ask; do you think its ok if a 22 year old has sex with an 18 year old? I mean the 18 year old didn't just suddenly become responsible because of their 18th birthday now did they? It's not as if that day was some sort of *day of enlightenment* upon which the kid was bestowed with the wisdom of all adults.

I can't believe I have to debate this.

Most states have "an age of consent" where it is illegal to have sex with a person under a certain age, regardless of what age you are. So, yes, if age of consent is 16, and two 15 year olds have sex, the parents can press charges against each other's child. That's the way it works.

The Internet is not a place for minors to be experimenting with sex. Consider:
- Predators who lie about themselves (often age)
- Anonymity breeds people who can be totally mean and not have any repurcussions (check out what the "adults" in SL do, after all)
- Online relationships are, by and large, very messed up. The overwhelming majority of online relationships I've observed span about 3-6 weeks, where people "declare love", get depressed, have vicious break-ups, and cause lots of drama. Compound this with minors who have years to go before they are emotionally mature? You're asking for trouble.
- How in Jeska Linden's name are you planning on dealing with dispute resolution between minors regarding cybersex? That skirts so many legal lines, not to mention the huge abhorrent mess that would be.
- Most of all, there is no real life consequences of the relationship. A situation without consequences is a very dangerous and reckless way for a child to learn something. I would never, ever, ever, ever, EVER let a child loose to try something out where there are no consequences for their actions.

We can register a "no-vote," but in reality, if there is a will they will find a way...

Don't get me wrong..I don't condone Adults having sex with minors. No spin on that subject. But then there's the question of..are they really having sex..when we are talking about Pixels.

It's sexual contact.

Men go to jail for 20 years for doing the same thing to minors on online chat rooms.

Awww...and I said no. Because Blake didn't specify the Kid-Grid. But I, of course, agree with Nolan's comment in regard to Kid-Grid activities. I don't think it should be encouraged, or even allowed by LL. But I do think that 13-17 year olds are certainly going to experiment with thier evolving sexuality. It is a natural part of life and shouldn't be overly repressed. Talk to your kids openly and frankly. And you should always keep an interested eye on what they are up to on the internat anyway..for safety's sake.

Also if opposed to it..what age were you when you experimented?

The original question was quite vague and I took it as meaning minor on minor sex.

As far as adults misrepresenting themselves as kids on that grid I agree. Believe me, the FIRST thought that popped in my head was *how the hell will they prove/disprove a player's age when the target group has to use mom and dad's credit card?* I am with you on that one Cat.

Read my comments about online relationships. Real life is a different situation entirely.