Hello Talking Sober!
We moderators have been discussing a growing concern: underage users. While the vast majority of our users are adults, we do occasionally get a few minors.
There are a few moral and legal issues at hand here. What if an underage sex addict signs up and asks sexual advice from adults? Besides being awkward, it could also be illegal for any adult to even have a conversation on this topic with a minor. The key here is to limit interaction with minors. However, we also acknowledge that there might be valuable information on here that could help minors too. With that in mind, we have decided to disallow minors from registering accounts on Talking Sober. They would still be able to browse the forum and read anonymously, but they won’t be able to interact with anyone.
From here on out, Talking Sober only allows users to register if they are at least 18 years of age. The registration process now includes a confirmation box that members need to tick when signing up. Being dishonest about this will result in an account suspension and a block on the forum. The forum rules and guidelines have also been updated.
Also, I realize that we do currently have a handful of minors active on the forum. To my knowledge, they have been responsible on here and have not caused any legal or moral concerns. We will keep all current accounts active and they won’t be removed, but I must note that any behaviour that would place the forum or the forum members in a potentially illegal situation will likely result in the suspension of said minor’s account.
This was a difficult decision. I hope that everyone can see where we are coming from and that we are only trying to do what is best for the community.
