why do you have to be 18+?

happyandhealthy2598
happyandhealthy2598 Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Seems like everytime a kid posts on the forum, people get rather upset. Is there a specific reason kids shouldn't be on this site?


Thanks, just curious! :)

Replies

  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    Content is not strictly moderated, and it's easy to get into groups that share adult content. This site is also intended for responsible adults who are managing their weight through diet and exercise, and children should generally not be doing this unless medically necessary. If they are medically needing this moderating, it should be done with parental and physician supervision. The information given here requires discretion and critical thinking, and it opens MFP up to a lot of liability if they allow minors.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    A couple reasons, liability is probably #1, but also the caloric requirements for a teen are different than an adult and thus the caloric intake suggestions would be less accurate. Try Sparkteens.com for a site aimed at teens
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    You don't have to.

    Granted a forum is almost a free reign territory but most people don't get on here cursing like sailors, posting nude pics, etc.

    So being 18+ is totally not necessary, and if they stumble on a curse word... oh well... that's life. And that child WILL be exposed to a lot more dangerous and harmful things in the world compared to sitting in a chair browsing MFP forums.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Liability. The site could be sued if the child gets into trouble here.

    ETA: Are you really 18?
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    There are many more laws about endangering children than endangering impressionable people older than 18.

    Predators, and not just the sexual ones. People share a lot of personal information and there are a lot of people running scams, as well as pushing products that are legal, if not entirely living up to their claims.

    We don't have an accurate maturity test, so we use age.

    The vast majority of people who develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are teenage girls. They start reading all that advice about military diets and see that rewarding little "was under goal" message at the end of the day and they lose the focus. Many adults do as well, but their parents won't sue, so we are back at liability.

    Most importantly, as I posted in the recent thread on this topic, using this site correctly is largely about being honest with yourself. Starting off by lying about your age is not a good foundation for that. I would give the same response to the person posting about a recent binge who wants to credit it to a different day than it actually happened on.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Probably so MFP doesn't have to deal with COPPA requirements. Specifying (and enforcing) that minors aren't allowed is a pretty straightforward way to remove the site from scope.
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
    Some content can be for adults only and, like another user said, posts are not strictly moderated. Also, internet predators are everywhere.

    Also, anyone under 18 should be consulting their doctor for weight-related concerns. We all should consult our physicians before beginning any program intended to reduce weight, regardless of age, but growing (and susceptible and maybe not well-informed)children and teens especially. Someone under 18 may still have a growth spurt and weight loss could become unnecessary, or may develop an eating disorder (of course EDs can develop after 18, too). There are a lot of variables when children and teens are involved and because MFP exists as a health-related tool, they would open themselves to liability issues--there's a big difference between "My kid broke the terms & conditions of MFP when they signed up, started tracking, and developed [health condition like low-iron or an eating disorder]" and "My kid signed up for MFP, which allows users aged 13+, and developed [health condition] after tracking for a few months."

    ETA: With that said, I'm a little wary of the intention of this post, so I'm going to ask: OP, are you 18+?
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    OP is NOT 18+. They openly admit to breaking the age restriction rules on other forum posts.

    They also demonstrate, through their other postings, that they do not understand the mechanism of healthy and sustainable weightloss.

    I would hesitate to give any specific information to this OP. It's a mess waiting to happen.
    There are junior versions of these sites, and I don't know why they want to come run around with people 2-4x's their age. It sure isn't cute.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Well... This is awkward. I guess all the other posts in this thread were deleted, including the OP... Does that mean I had the right answer to her question, and if so, do I get a prize? :bigsmile:
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Well... This is awkward. I guess all the other posts in this thread were deleted, including the OP... Does that mean I had the right answer to her question, and if so, do I get a prize? :bigsmile:

    Huh, I only see my answer and your recent post, so I guess MFP is telling us to believe what we want to believe.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    She just wanted to be 18. Common desire of youngsters ;)
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Well... This is awkward. I guess all the other posts in this thread were deleted, including the OP... Does that mean I had the right answer to her question, and if so, do I get a prize? :bigsmile:

    Huh, I only see my answer and your recent post, so I guess MFP is telling us to believe what we want to believe.
    Interesting....

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