Teen Second Life is officially no more.
What does this mean? Well, it means that those ages 13 to 15, and who are affiliated with an educational / sponsoring organisation will be able to access sims operated by the organisation; 16 and 17 year olds will be free to travel within PG-rated sims; some of those over 17 will continue to have major conniptions and possible fainting spells whenever the word “teenager” is whispered within their earshot – and the rest of us will go about the majority of our business just as we have always done.
To be sure, there are risks involved in having teenagers – or rather “minors”, to use the legal phrase – mixing with “adults” on the Main Grid, and Tateru Nino points them out very well; I still have concerns about the perceptions of those outside of SL as to what is going on with “minors” and “adults” apparently mixing so freely. But neither the risks nor the concerns of external perceptions are in any way a reason to come down so cuttingly on teens themselves – which is precisely what some residents have done.
Indeed, it is fair to stay that there have been many instances where the adult reaction has been nothing short of petulant, childish foot stomping, when all that is required is the implementation of a modicum of common sense on that part of adults the grid over. As such, it has been fascinating to compare the degree of stroppiness shown by self-confessed “adults” in the forums with the sheer considered, thoughtful and mature posts made by teens themselves.
At the end of the day as I’ve mentioned, and given the numbers involved, unless someone from outside SL does get their pants in a paddy over the merger (the parents of Tateru’s “Little Suzy”, for example, or certain right-wing American senators who seem to have a – if I might use the phrase I heard so vividly on the TV the other night – “serious weed up their ass” when it comes to SL) life on the Main Grid will continue much as before. No-one will be the subject of a witch hunt; the sky won’t fall in anywhere, and Chicken Little will start hunting for the next crisis that can be turned into a drama.
In the meantime, I’ll join the likes of Daniel Voyager (who has encapsulated a nice little history of the merger) and others in extending a welcome to the newest residents of Second Life.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 
Inara, you make a valid point, as usual…but…
The fly in this ointment will always be the self-righteous “Protector of the Oppressed” crusader who will always champion the minors against the depravity of adults.
We have already seen a number of US Congresspersons (or whatever US MPs are called) getting into a high dudgeon about the potential harm that might befall a hapless minor at the hands of a paedophile. It is a shame that vulnerable adults do not attract the same attention.
When the majority of SL customers joined SL, they were confident that minors would not be encountred in SL because it was an “Adults only” environment. Linden Labs changed the rules on that when they announced the merger of Teen SL with the Main Grid.
As a result I now find that I am under a degree of peer pressure to “tone-down” my profile, or hide it altogether – certain Mature clubs get all prissy about bare boobs, despite language there that would make a sailor blush.
If human beings were reasonable, SL as a merged entity would be perfectly fine. Trouble is…many are not.
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Well…I emphasise to a point.
However, regardless of whether SL is an “adult environment”, we should all act with at least a modicum of common sense, mutual respect and the like; and frankly, the arrival of teens shouldn’t change that.
As to Profiles, regardless of whether or not Teens are in Second Life, the fact remains that it is a requirement of the Terms of Service / Community Standards that *all* Profiles are G-rated in terms of pictures and text content – so as not to offend other *adults* of certain sensibilities.
That LL have chosen not to (are actually incapable, manpower-wise) police Profiles is actually no excuse for those that opt to flout the ToS / CS in this regard (and I’m not pointing the finger at you personally, Ayesha in saying this).
The fact of the matter is, the ToS / CS mandate what is required of us – and we all sign-up to the ToS / CS *in full*; there are no “get out” clauses for any rules we personally disagree with. Period.
As such, if someone opts to use abrasive language or nude pictures in their profile and are AR’d for it – frankly, that is *their* fault, and has nothing to do with whether teens are on the Main Grid or not. In short: if people abide by the *long established* rules, they won’t get hurt in respect to their Profiles.
As to clubs in Mature spaces and nudity – that’s down to a possible misinterpretation of the “rules” relating to nudity in Mature sims – which can be a little confusing as to what is and isn’t allowed; certainly there are elements here that LL *could* sort out and clarify. But again, these are not rules drafted because of the arrival of Teens – they have been in place since the Adult Policy arrived a goodly while ago.
I agree that external perceptions are a worry – have no doubt – although the risk has always been there. Even with the clear split between the Teen Second Life and Main Grid, Mark Kirk (Rep. Illinois) *still* went after LL and SL back in 2007, trying to get Second Life ousted from schools and the like because of it’s “sexual nature”. So the issue has *always* been there – although the merger does heighten the risk to a degree, and bring with it increased legal ramifications. But at the end of the day, this shouldn’t be a major issue for the majority – providing we are all prepared to be reasonable and exercise common sense.
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The numbers are very interesting according to Tateru, such a small number, I didn’t realise it was quite that low a number, that means there won’t be much of a tremor felt, but LL still have some work to do.
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I’ve heard a range of figures from different sources, and in truth I have no idea of the ratio within TSL of those aged 16/17 to those aged 13-15.
I agree there is much the still could be done in various areas; given that there is a new man at the helm – with the caveats I’ve mentioned elsewhere vis-a-vis his responsibilities to the Board – perhaps now *is* the time to try and comprehensively re-open the “Family Continent” discussion…
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It seems that progress is being made (or at least, starting to be made) on the safety side of the integration. The marketplace is going to have a similar rating system to land with items filtered as such. There’s apparently discussion underway as to how the “peeping-tom” issue may be resolved without leaving gaping holes in the mainland. Should be interesting to see how these ideas develop.
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Indeed the SL Marketplace rating system is now in place and we’re into the “change-over” period. It has not been without a few bumps – particularly around LL’s “Sooper Sekrit” list of “naughty words”, or indeed the inconsistencies between what had been regarded as “acceptably Mature” in-world (e.g. “Gor”, “Gorean”, etc., suddenly becoming “Adult” within SLM). That said, the switch over is needed – nay, overdue, given it should have occurred *prior* to the TSL closure – but better late than never.
The Mainland issue is going to be an interesting one to seen resolved. Doubtless, as I’ve mentioned, by the time it is, “adult” attention will be on the Next Big Crisis (possibly the “forcing” of people to “use Viewer 2” as work starts in dismantling the ability of Viewer 1.2x from working in-world….).
I’d still like to see the Family Continent idea given more breathing space; especially as there is absolutely *no* downside to it for anyone – “adults”, teens, Linden Lab, outside observers…
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