protect act of 2003 & age play in sl

This is clearly a highly charged issue, and not easy to respond to in simple terms. There are basically two instances here that need to be addressed:

First. We have evidence of child pornography or abuse that involves children in the real world (e.g. uploaded images or exploitation of a minor). In this case we will act to protect the child and notify the authorities. The individuals involved, if it's proven the exploitation occurred, will be banned from SL.

Second. There are people in SL who are role-playing as children engaged in sexual activities. There are no real children involved. While not a Terms of Service violation (no illegal activity) it could be argued that this behavior is broadly offensive and therefore violates the community standards. "Content, communication, or behavior which involves intense strong language or expletives, nudity or sexual content, the depiction of sex or strong violence, or anything else broadly offensive must be contained within private land in areas rated Mature (M)." If this activity were in public areas (as was the case with the anime images) it would be viewed as being broadly offensive, and therefore unacceptable. What consenting adults do in private, however distasteful others may find it, is allowed under these standards.

If you see behavior that you think falls into the first instance, please contact Linden Lab immediately. In the second case, please file an abuse report, and include the chat logs and/or screenshots you are concerned with.