Topic
Playing before you sign up MUST do an age check!
The new thing where you can try out the game before you sign up is really cool, and a great way for new players to try the game out and see if they like it before making a commitment (as it were) to playing the game.
But there's nothing anywhere in this that has an age check, and players are noticing a huge number of young if not underage kids showing up on the game -- they come to Global and proudly announce they are 10, 11, 12, etc.
Sure, we report them when they do this, and usually they're removed. But how can they know they're not supposed to be here if the game doesn't clearly say, "You must be 14" to play this game"?
It's bad enough when we get trollers and others who just want to annoy. It's really clear the number of too-young players is increasing, and it's getting frustrating.
p.s. Please do not turn this into an argument over the "over 14" rule. The USA COPPA stuff is taken very seriously, and I know TS did not make this rule capriciously.
Replies
- I found this pretty interesting: http://www.glitch.com/forum/general/29103/#reply-300352 :)
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I went and started a new Glitch out of curiosity. When you get to the account creation page, it says "By clicking the button below and creating your account, you agree to our Terms of Service. You must be at least 14 years old to create an account."
Kids are already ignoring this. Will an age check will be any more effective? -
Kids will automatically lie and say they're older than they actually are if they see a warning like that anyways. There's really no good way to keep children away from something they aren't supposed to see!
(Especially with the way the internet is now...) - i'd actually prefer if it wasnt announced. Saying the age like that , kids know up front what age they need to pretend to be, and simply lie. Its easier to get away with it then. It makes it easier to catch ppl that disobey rules if its in the ToS, but not blatantly on the front page. But there may be reasons that it has to be displayed like that.
- Yes, especially since you can jump up into the anus of an animal in this game now...
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It has to be announced, according to COPPA, I'm pretty sure.
Short of mailing in picture IDs, there's no way to stop kids from going where they shouldn't go, except for parental controls. I think it's the latter that's lacking more than anything else, both in the technical sense and in the sense of paying attention to what kids consume. I'd say just keep on reporting and blocking. -
Maybe TS could add a field when you register your email that you also have to add the one of your dad/mom as verification?
Just brainstorming here... - Put math on the sign-up page, kids are repelled by any sort of actual work and will flee in terror.
- Fake email addresses, and Google does math for you. ;-)