this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2025
27 points (90.9% liked)

chat

8270 readers
273 users here now

Chat is a text only community for casual conversation, please keep shitposting to the absolute minimum. This is intended to be a separate space from c/chapotraphouse or the daily megathread. Chat does this by being a long-form community where topics will remain from day to day unlike the megathread, and it is distinct from c/chapotraphouse in that we ask you to engage in this community in a genuine way. Please keep shitposting, bits, and irony to a minimum.

As with all communities posts need to abide by the code of conduct, additionally moderators will remove any posts or comments deemed to be inappropriate.

Thank you and happy chatting!

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Of course, these spaces are only meant for adults. They'll say as much, and they'll drop the hammer on anyone who admits to being underage. But the key word there is "admits." It's trivially easy for a kid to lie about their age to get into such places - and even if they require some form of verification (such as a scan of an ID), it's not much less trivial for a kid to use a fake ID, someone else's ID, or a photoshop of their own ID. And they're going to do it in huge numbers, because teens are horny and impulsive and don't know what they're getting into. There is no way to keep them out that is absolutely guaranteed to work in all circumstances - at least, not one that I can think of.

And now these kids are in an NSFW space, interacting with grown adults in a sexual context. Even if no one knows they're a kid, even if no one deliberately targets them, the adults in those spaces are having inappropriate sexual interactions with the kids by being in conversations with them about things like kinks, porn preferences, &c. that adults should not be talking with kids about - and thus those adults become complicit in something terrible without realizing it or intending to.

It's the anonymous and depersonalized nature of these online spaces in particular that makes this such a problem, which sucks, because there are many people who have a legitimate need for such spaces - LGBT people in reactionary environments, people with embarrassing but harmless kinks who might face ostracism or loss of their jobs if those around them found out, etc. But the anonymous nature that offers so many benefits is inextricable from its inherent awful risk to children.

I'm not really sure where I was going with this. It just sucks and it's a bad situation and I wondered if anyone else had thoughts to share.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] piggy@hexbear.net 8 points 2 days ago

I was a really young nerdy kid, and coming from the Soviet Union like the only thing I cared about was computer. I was obsessed with computer since playing Doom as a kid in a cyber cafe. I got my first computer at the age of 8-9 after we had immigrated. I was about 10 years old when I was trolling AOL chat rooms by myself.... and I had a lovely 640x480 web cam.... and yeah. A lot of this brings up uneasy memories.

I think the horny categorization does fit me. I'm not like a gooner or anything but my partner would agree 100% with the statement: "thinks I'm about to pounce on them and always waits for me to initiate everything. Why people basically see horny as one of my personality traits."

I don't experience issues with non-sexual intimacy, but I wanted to let you know that you're not alone!