children under 13 suitable to visit forums?

[jaam0927]

I guess its ok... I used to live near some kids around that age... and I knew some of them... few but very few seemed to have their feet on the earth... at least more than what I expected.... so I dont think its a matter of age but of maturity... In this case I shouldnt be allowed in any forums... cuz insed Im still a hyper lil' kid XP... lol

[Clow Sakura]

Mostly yes, if there is no rude things, I guess its okay..

[Hassun]

*agrees* ive seen 8 year old act more mature than teenagers. its quite amazing sometimes >.<

Of course, they haven't hit puberty yet.

[setsuna mudo1617]

why do we have to talk about teenagers?
we didnt do nething to ne1.

[Meji Imaru]

does anyone think that its not a good idea that ppl under the age of 13 visit forums? because im 11 and ive visited a couple of forums and the ppl werent so friendly because of my age..

Doesnt really matter to me, it would be forbidden fruit if they didnt let ya so even if that were to be limited to thirteen and up people would lie the same way they do when they signup, just put in a suitable age and blammo your in, really it cant be controlled which is probably why people havent tried out lawing that yet.

[Lil_G135]

I don't mind children under 13 who want to visit/join forums at all - as long as they follow the rules along with everyone else, as well as being able to be mature with handling serious and/or more slightly adult issues.
Seems people tend to not like the younger crowd though, because they aren't always like that - sometimes the exact opposite ^.^; People also complain that the younger crowd tend to be the most spammers, and have 'noobie'ish tendencies - I can't say myself, I haven't studied that (yet), but I think it also depends on the the forum itself.

well.. Then just dont tell them your age? that simple.

Ah, but some forums posts your age once you've inserted your birthday. And even if you're given the option of it not being publically displayed, some forums require that it's inputted in your profile at least - and anyone could go there.

A forum I go to sometimes requires your birthday in your profile so they can enforce the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) - Saying that technically no webmaster in the US is allowed to willingly collect any information from anyone under the age of 13 unless they have written consent from the person's parents. If you're not thirteen yet at that forum, you're blocked until you're 13th birthday.
Although it may seem a little unfair, I see where they're going with it

So... to recap, I don't mind if you can handle yourself as well as being able to handle other people's thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs.

[Dark.]

personally, I barely even touched the internet until I was 13, and wasn't into any forum scrolling until about 14. I don't think it's the best idea for people any younger than 13 to be scrolling a forum, mostly because there are alot of pricks and trolls everywhere, and it can be very hard to fit in. Then again, you could always lie about your age, I've done so before, as long as you act mature enough, most people won't notice or care. But I definately don't think you should be around any forum if you're 12 and below. That's just my view.

[bassdudez]

As far as I know, many old people here can easily pass as young funloving 12 year olds ^_^ Not that it's bad or anything, but this shows that age doesnt really determine a person's personality, therefore acting all mature and knowledgeable isnt really a huge requirement when joining forums.

And why do most people go to forums anyway?

To have a great time of course.

The purposes of joining a forum is not so much for the forum community as it is for the user's own benefit. So why stop them? If the kids want to join, then it's their choice. The best thing we can do is to keep them aware of the malicious events going on around the forums, and any other net sites for that matter.

Keeping them aware gives them the freedom of making the decisions for themselves, and I think 12 year olds are intelligent enough to keep themselves out of trouble with sufficient warning.

And as for fitting in..... well, again, that doesnt completely rely on age. The community is diverse, and various types of people are present. I seriously dont think it possible for any single individual not to find a single friend in here.