What would you think of this conversation?

[sleepingkoala]

So some people are chatting on a mental health forum which is also a kind of joke forum/for fun and general chat. It's meant to be 18+ by the way. And someone asks if there are underage people here. And then another person says 'if they are then they're here by choice as we're talking in 'hot sex chat'. (By the way we weren't actually talking about sex it was just the name of the specific voice chat we were in for a joke or something idk). Then a third person says, 'if they're underage then they've chosen to be overage'.

Would you think any part of this was weird? What would you think the individuals in this conversion meant? What would your opinion be on it? Thanks.

I wouldn't think much of it other than some misguided atempt at humour.

I would presume they meant there's not much you can do about it if there are underage people on there.

It was their attempt at humour - along the lines of people chosing to identify as a different gender - now they can chose to identify as overage.

I would presume that if they've joined an 18+ chat group then they're saying they're overage. As in over the age of 18. Even if they're younger than this. Nothing strange about what the person has said re overage.

Nothing seems weird to me

Without any advanced searching can you tell if any of the people that replied here are 12,15,17 over 18?

Thanks for the replies so far.

WhatToDo - could you expand on why you don't think it's weird or rather just what you thought they meant?

RebelRogue - no you can't know. How does that relate to the story specifically? Are you saying that's the point the people in conversation were making and that's all they saying or? Thanks.

It sounds like you're focusing too much on something that's not important OP.

Is there a reason you're worried about it?

Why do you think it's "weird", Sleepingkoala?

Do you think the person who said "they've chosen to be overrage" is a closet paedo who would justify shagging under 16s using the same argument?

Difficult to see what the issue is.

My point was that people reply/contribute in good faith that what a poster is saying is true,or in your case the expectation is that everyone is over 18. If they aren't but chose to use the site, no one can possibly know. It's not that they chose to be overage,but chose to use a website that has an 18+ condition.
That is one way of seeing that comment.

I think you took it to mean that underage is "fair game" , and that's what bothers you. That would be indeed wrong, if the under 18 discloses that,or there is some doubt about their age.

They are saying that they can't tell how old anyone is and if anyone is under 18 they are pretending to be over 18.
WTF is wrong with that?

I could be 12 for all you know. Or 90.

Or a dog.

Or an extraneous nipple.

VeryButchyRestingFace - yeh maybe. I just don't know. Or that they were making some kind joke which I also think is weird.

RebelRogue - thanks. I see what you mean. So you would think it's more likely the first interpretation then? Maybe just worded weirdly or is it more obvious? :s and yeah I thought it could be like what you said in your second paragraph or a weird joke or something but I don't know.

Hmm I guess that makes. So you wouldn't even think it sounded at all weird or weirdly worded or anything? Sorry just wanna know the reasoning and I'm curious.

Would you think it was meant as a joke too like mrsovertheroad and allthebest said?

So you would think it's more likely the first interpretation then?

Well my first paragraph was what first came to mind when reading it.

I came up with the second after giving it some thought,knowing that it bothered you.

As previous posters said, I'd read it as "You can't know how old anybody is on the net. They've had to self-declare they're over 18 to be here, so we have to assume they are."

Every forum worth its salt will require users to confirm their age when they sign up. I believe that covers them for due diligence, as they can hardly demand photo ID and verify it.

What seems weird to you about it, OP?

I wouldn't think there was any issue tbh. It reads like standard online chat with acknowledgment that there is no way to be sure who's behind the other keyboards but even so, we can't police everything we do just on the off chance an underage person is lurking.

Same as anywhere really. Twelve-year-olds can lurk on MN if nobody is stopping them, but even so we don't all refrain from swearing, or avoid adult topics.

I'd take it as them saying that there isn't much they can do if an underage person chooses to pass themselves off as 18+ and join the forum and that they shouldn't censor their conversation on the assumption younger people could be listening in.

It doesn't strike me as weird.

But then I used to go into a lego fan chatroom where everything from opinions on a new sofa, to suitable titles for Lego porn movies, and the practicalities of lego underpants were discussed, so I'm not exactly the best person to judge what is weird.

Ok to be honest I was the third person. And that's why I care about it because I think it was a stupid thing to say and I don't know why I said it. And I think it could have been misinterpreted so I worry.

I didn't mean it as a joke either so I worry people thought it was a stupid joke. But I feel a little better than you don't think it sounded that weird at least.

Sorry I didn't say but I wanted to know what people honestly thought and I thought it would be more accurate this way.

?

It wasn't worded very accurately, but I would have assumed person 3 was saying 'if anyone is under age, it's their own responsibility because they've chosen to pretend they're older'.

Just as someone who dresses up, puts extra makeup on and shows fake ID to get into a club should expect someone to think their 18+ if they've managed to look 18+ and get into an 18+ venue.

Honestly don't give it another thought. You're worrying unduly, it's fine.