Age requirements.

As a few people have said. Age is but a number.

Some of our sharper members are also amongst our youngest, I've been shocked more than once at the relative youth of some of them...pleasantly so, I feel obligated to add.

'course the oppisite holds true as well, some of our older members are just as sharp...

Which prove the point.

Now spelling...

I was thinking about this too, not an age requirement but at least having your age displayed under your name or something. I was young when I started on this website and I did fairly well. But age does make a difference in what a person will believe and what they won't. As far as gay rights discussions go, I swear there must have been some 13 year olds participating in which case I have no desire in participating myself. Those debates are already pretty fruitless and with young teens into the mix, God help us.

reply to post by ghaleon12


This could turn a good post into something someone would not read just because of the age indicated under their Avatar.

Who is to say people would state their age correctly and how would it be verified, you would have to do an identity check of sorts, which would be a deterrent to many members who enjoy the animosity the site provides.

Originally posted by ghaleon12
I was thinking about this too, not an age requirement but at least having your age displayed under your name or something. I was young when I started on this website and I did fairly well. But age does make a difference in what a person will believe and what they won't. As far as gay rights discussions go, I swear there must have been some 13 year olds participating in which case I have no desire in participating myself. Those debates are already pretty fruitless and with young teens into the mix, God help us.

I wonder how many women would put their true age? I am one age and
sometimes act another.

reply to post by mamabeth


I have to say, until recently, upon turning 16 and in some cases 17... my birthdate on websites was set in 1981.

Partly so people would listen to my opinion and not skip it by age alone, though I don't fear that would be too much of a problem here.

But mainly for security, I didn't want to broadcast to the internet that I was say 14... I learnt after putting my real age on one sight and getting message after message from people asking for my IM address etc. Once I set it to 1981, I was no longer bothered by such people.

Originally posted by StevenDye
reply to post by mamabeth

 

I have to say, until recently, upon turning 16 and in some cases 17... my birthdate on websites was set in 1981.

Partly so people would listen to my opinion and not skip it by age alone, though I don't fear that would be too much of a problem here.

But mainly for security, I didn't want to broadcast to the internet that I was say 14... I learnt after putting my real age on one sight and getting message after message from people asking for my IM address etc. Once I set it to 1981, I was no longer bothered by such people.

If your parents had kept a closer watch on you,while on the internet,
you wouldn't have had as many problems.You have to be careful what
you reveal on the internet.There are a lot of predators out there,hunting
for young kids.

Originally posted by DJDOHBOY
Age is but a number...

Some of our younger members can be the most intelligent of people,
Some more so than the Adults

They bring a fresh look at things, As for not arguing with children.. They are here and they no how things work and expect to be treated like any other member,

Also trying to induce a age limit would not really be something we could make work, they would just fib about there age,

IMO anyhow,

[edit on 1-9-2009 by DJDOHBOY]

exactly.....some of the most unwise people on here are people " of age " ......

some people mature faster than others...

School starts soon.

Hopefully there will be less youngsters around.

Hopefully.

I joined when I was 14, back in 2006, and I've been a more responsible and productive member than some of the adults here.

So, I agree to the:

Yes now that I'm 18 I can see why some people feel one way or another, but again, I've known some pretty immature adult members. And even though I would be set NOW, I would hate to think that all of the work and effort I put in when I was under 18 could be matched or defeated by another young member who might be dissuaded because of an age requirement.

And in terms of gay rights discussions, I was active in the GSA and GSLN organizations in my schools and some of the most active members were the youngest. You don't need to be 18 to know what your sexual preference is and to understand which rights you believe are inherent and which may not be.

I'd also tend to say that my typing and grammar, even from an early age, is better than even some of the adult responses in this thread. No offense intended.

[edit on 9/2/2009 by ravenshadow13]

I agree with just about everyones opinions here.

But only for reference and from the ATS Privacy Policy,...

Our Commitment To The Privacy Of Children:

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our website from those we actually know are under 13, and no part of our website is structured to attract anyone under 13.

reply to post by smirkley


That doesn't mean that they cannot join.

Although, again, I was 14 when I joined. I think the youngest active member I can think of was 12... maybe I've seen a 10 year old here or there. I can't think of anyone saying they were younger than that, ever. But they may certainly exist.

For the record, and a general reply to everyone, if we're talking about possibly displaying age beneath avatars or something...

I don't want skeevy guys to be constantly reminded that I'm an 18 year old female. Thank you.

[edit on 9/2/2009 by ravenshadow13]

There could be a topic discussed on ATS with a potentially damaging psychological effect on children, such as alien abductions, MK ULTRA, FEMA camps or the drug war. Children could also be damaged by listening to people like Alex Jones, Michael Tsarion and Jordan Maxwell, who use an overly negative tone for their narratives, and are, for the most part, disinfo agents and scare mongers.

You'd need an expert to make the call on this one.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

As Bill pointed out, ATS membership requires a minimal amount of personal information, and that's one of the reasons I'm a member now rather than just a guest.

I recommend being very cautious about giving out any sort of personal information over the Internet, including your age, because you never know who's really asking for it, where it will end up or how it will ultimately be used.

Requiring a site like ATS to gather identifying information on its members would be a very bad move, in my opinion, because there are just too many potentially nefarious uses for such information. As things stand, all you need is an email address to register and there are plenty of free email services available to provide you with one that is virtually anonymous.

Rather than suggesting ATS solicit potential members for personal data such as age, a much more sound policy would be to cultivate an environment where polite, mature discussion is expected. That way, whether a member is a teenager or an octogenarian, the rules are the same and the atmosphere is appropriate.

At least, such a policy seems to be working pretty well so far.

Originally posted by mamabeth


I ask this because of a thread I was on recently.I had a couple of exchanges
with another member,then discovered he was only 17 years old. I try to
make it a rule,not to argue with children.I will listen to a child,but I won't
argue with one.

17 is not a child, it is a teenager. And I am pretty sure s/he is as smart as the rest of us to share a disussion at ATS.

Isn't there a TV program about being smarter than a fifth grader.
So it might be hard to screen anyone with a barrage of questions.
There was a computer game that tried to make it adult by asking
history questions at the beginning.
You put in an age and you get three questions that match your age.
Perhaps level of education should be in question as well.

In the end the kids find all the answers and get in anyway.

Originally posted by Scooby Doo

Originally posted by mamabeth


I ask this because of a thread I was on recently.I had a couple of exchanges
with another member,then discovered he was only 17 years old. I try to
make it a rule,not to argue with children.I will listen to a child,but I won't
argue with one.

17 is not a child, it is a teenager. And I am pretty sure s/he is as smart as the rest of us to share a disussion at ATS.

I know you're right,17 is a teenager.I am just used to kids being called
kids.My daughter is in her 30s and I keep thinking of her as my kid.

If you don't mind me asking why won't you argue with them? It promotes debating ability and the idea that others may have differing opinions.

I don't think age is a barrier to discussion.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen
There could be a topic discussed on ATS with a potentially damaging psychological effect on children, such as alien abductions, MK ULTRA, FEMA camps or the drug war. Children could also be damaged by listening to people like Alex Jones, Michael Tsarion and Jordan Maxwell, who use an overly negative tone for their narratives, and are, for the most part, disinfo agents and scare mongers.

You'd need an expert to make the call on this one.

This is a great post and I agree with you.Children need parents who will
take the time to monitor what they watch or listen to.That could be the television,radio and the internet.

Originally posted by Chilled Zen
If you don't mind me asking why won't you argue with them? It promotes debating ability and the idea that others may have differing opinions.

I don't think age is a barrier to discussion.

I don't argue with children out of habit.

Originally posted by mamabeth
I don't argue with children out of habit.

I (personally) don't think arguments with anyone of any age are productive. Discussions, yes. Questions, yes. Dialogue, yes. Alternative theories, yes.

Arguments... well, not unless we're doing a formal debate. And in that case, you better have your research bookshelf all lined up!