by PoppyR 9 Replies latest jw friends
Hi everyone
Much to my delight, my oldest son has expressed interest in JWD and would like to post on the forum, I allow him to read pretty much everything anyway and am not too worried about what I know he will encounter here (ie swearing etc!) as I'm sure he comes across that on most websites.
Is there an age a poster has to be? (he's almost 14)
Poppy
Psychological speak amongst younger minds can be interpreted by them in ways not intended and will influence some of their thinking in unknown ways. If you feel your child is an open thinker and will put to you any issues raised which give them negative waves or challenge their self esteem, maybe it could be a beneficial education. Like all things, it is down to yourselves, but If I was aware of younger people reading this stuff I'm not sure I would be as likely to post as openly as I do. So in one respect these forums can be liberating but as soon as certain parameters begin to impose themselves they lose their incisiveness IMHO.
I don't think there is any age restraint as far as joining, but be advised the topics that are posted here can at times be of a adult nature
The majority of the discussions here are usually about peoples involvement with the JWS and the religion in itself
Just to let you know also that there are very few young teens that post here, most are in their twenties and up
There is no specific age requirement, and, with parental supervision, there have even been a (very) few pre-teens who have posted.
am not too worried about what I know he will encounter here (ie swearing etc!) as I'm sure he comes across that on most websites.
LOL...yes, the "new age" of Internet-savvy younger folks, unlike us old farts who hardly know the difference between a CPU and a CPA.
Don`t forget the Trolls..A Troll can rip up an Adult Newbie pretty bad..I wouldn`t want that to happen to a kid.....I don`t think this is a place for a young teenager...OUTLAW
Psychological speak amongst younger minds can be interpreted by them in ways not intended and will influence some of their thinking in unknown ways. If you feel your child is an open thinker and will put to you any issues raised which give them negative waves or challenge their self esteem, maybe it could be a beneficial education. Like all things, it is down to yourselves, but If I was aware of younger people reading this stuff I'm not sure I would be as likely to post as openly as I do. So in one respect these forums can be liberating but as soon as certain parameters begin to impose themselves they lose their incisiveness IMHO.
I'm 37 and that hurt my head to read. (All in fun, RC)
If your son is mature enough to hear other kids using the coarse language of others his age and not use it himself, then he is probably old enough.
I'm not sure how old Richie Rich was when he came on, but he turned out okay.
Thanks for all your advice, although I know what you mean about the brain ache reading that second post!
He's very mature, and used to the flaming and trolling that goes with forums etc, I'm fairly confident he can handle whatever is thrown at him.
Poppy
Is there an age a poster has to be? (he's almost 14)
If thats his real age, hes an old fart out here in cyberspace.
While I have never seen it in the rules, a common minimum age for joining forums is 13. On MySpace, it is 14. Generally, people that are 13 and up should have no problem, especially if supervised by a parent. Even people that are younger can post if supervised by parents, if their parents do not object to the minimal amounts of swearing and adult themes one might find on this forum.
However, Simon is the one to make the final decision. If he says it's 13, then so be it. If he says it's 18, then it's 18. And so on. If he doesn't specify, then it's really up to the parent to decide if the child is OK to be here (which is pretty much the smart thing anyway). In any event, no one can be responsible for anyone that willfully misrepresents themselves as being older than they actually are just to be permitted to join the forum. I do not recommend that, regardless (and, ultimately the decision is better left up to the parents than the forum owner anyway).
Don't worry Poppy, we'll all watch after him.
And if he stumbles into the wrong thread, we'll all give him the mean look.
lisa
