@ my fellow adults who use tumblr a lot:
can you PLEASE put your age in your about/sidebar and make sure it’s accessible on mobile. imo if you’re an adult esp 20+ it’s a little weird that you wouldn’t have your age readily available on your blog. if you’re reading this now and you don’t have your age listed, please rectify that. i feel like teenagers get lured into talking to adults in fandom/lgbt spaces that they may not have intentionally sought out because they think they’re talking to other teenagers, and this can lead to a lot of other – much more insidious –problems
Can you guys step out of the tumblr “everyone over 20 is inherently predatory and creepy towards children” bubble for once and consider that encouraging people to give up their personal information for the imagined safety of the community is like…not safe?
this advice doesn’t even make sense for multiple reasons; if someone is intent on preying upon minors, all they have to do is follow your advice and lie about their age, being over 20 doesn’t mean you can’t be preyed on yourself, you should never be coerced into giving up your privacy on social media (seriously, did a fed write this?), and promoting the idea that turning 20 means your interactions with younger people should be viewed with suspicion is absolutely harmful, like OP do you have any common sense? At all?
“ignore your own privacy boundaries and discomfort and if you don’t idk 🤔sounds a lil sus 2 me, p
edophile”will you guys stop larping as conservative politicians for one second pleasethink-of-the-children fearmongering is not the same thing as actually protecting minors
You’re talking about – much more insidious – problems while telling people if you don’t do what I tell you, you might be a threat to the safety of our community, like okay Dubya!
Also there’s a big fucking problem with kids oversharing information about this website to begin with, and pushing the mindset that if you don’t have your age- which is in fact a piece of personal information- readily available on your blog you’re a bad person is bad, no matter whether you’re an adult or not.
YOU DO NOT OWE STRANGERS ON THE INTERNET ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF.
REPEAT: NO ONE OWES ANY STRANGER ANY PERSONAL INFO WHATSOEVER.
This goes for adults and minors both – and honestly, I don’t think minors should advertise the fact that they are. It’s not like that’s going to drive predators away–very much the opposite.
There is nothing “shady” about having personal boundaries and choosing to keep personal information private – and when in doubt, it’s always safest to err on the side of privacy. For everyone. What creeps me out is people demanding to know things that are none of their business. Age is the most innocuous probably but I’ve also seen people on here demanding to know complete strangers’ disabilities, traumas, survivor status, etc, just for the purpose of winning a fucking internet argument. THOSE are the truly skeevy people.
85% of Tumblr users are over 18. Pornbots are rampant. This isn’t a kids’ site.
I’m not interested in kids in the least – not sexually and not in any other way either. I’m definitely not a predator and I am definitely also not a “fandom mom.” I never had kids because I didn’t want to. I never babysat for pay because I didn’t want to. I sure as hell don’t babysit online for free.
I do appreciate this post going around again, because while I will never list my age or any other personal info in my “about,” I HAVE FOR YEARS listed: “no followers under 18 please.” I mean that. I don’t want any minors following me at all.
For the most part, this works, but every once in a whilewhen I go back through my new followers, I find someone who lists an age on their profile that’s less than 18 following me. I message them a kind but firm note, and then I block them, and I point out that they violated my own clearly stated boundaries.
I feel like that’s all I need to do. That’s what I will continue to do.
But please, kids – if you see someone who lists some variations on “NSFW Blog” or “Adults Only” or “No Minors” or “-18 don’t interact” or anything along those lines – PLEASE FUCKING RESPECT THAT. One doesn’t have to list one’s age to make a clear statement that this blog is full of content that’s unsuitable for minors and that minors aren’t welcome. And it’s 100% OK to do so.
While I understand OP’s concern, anyone who doesn’t have their age listed is basically automatically being a called a creep for wanting to protect their personal information. You don’t have the right to demand my age – I’m not okay with that information being out there on social media for strangers to see and it’s a violation of my privacy. It could also be used to potentially steal my identity, which I also have the right to protect. That’s you won’t find me putting my birthday or my zodiac sign or my name out there. It’s why I don’t do those “Based on your birthday, what’s your rapper name?” things and why I don’t post what my dragon name is because it requires all letters of my first name in alphabetical order and I have the right to my privacy and to protect my personal information and my identity.
I use Tumblr for fandom/nerd stuff and occasionally, I’ll reblog something important – like this or net neutrality or things that can help protect you when you’re out – but I rarely talk to people on Tumblr and have conversations with them. Occasionally, I might send one or two people a message but nothing that’s a conversation starter.
So don’t tell me to post my age. That’s a violation of my privacy and I have the right to protect my identity and personal information. It’s not weird to not have your age posted on a social media site where you don’t know who someone is and it’s not wrong to want to protect your identity. It’s important to protect kids and not be shady or creepy but I have rights to my privacy and putting personal information, even just my age, out there can be used against me and can put me in a vulnerable position that can have a completely different set of problems.
And Vulgarweed is right – Tumblr is not a kid’s site. They shouldn’t be on here.
For everyone playing internet lawyer: age is considered a matter of public knowledge (because it’s a demographic) thus, legally, doesn’t qualify under violation of privacy. This is why websites can ask your age down to the day to confirm you are old enough to browse them.
tl;dr: Great job everyone, acting like people are commiting a tort for asking your age. Hit dogs will howl.
can’t believe “kids and teenagers need to have their safety prioritized” is such a contraversial belief among the Woke
Children and teenagers are entitled to safe interactions with adults. Kick and scream about your “private information” all you want, refusing to disclose the singular fact that you’re over 18 to a minor is a suspicious behavior.
If you think kids and teens should be online “At a risk to themselves”, you need to unfollow me right now, I don’t care how many followers it costs me. Kids deserve to feel safe online where they can.
Penhales 