Where should you be in the virtual world?
Second Life is a world for persons who are age 18 and up. People who are age 13-17 use a separate Teen Second Life world. There is no Second Life world for people under 13.
They are very careful about keeping children and teens under 18 out of the adult SL.
When you establish an account with Linden Lab, you have to reveal your birthdate and sometimes other information so they can verify that you are beyond your 18th birthday.
If you are under 18 and have just snuck in through Mom's computer, you can count on virtually any resident you encounter on the SL adult main grid turning you in to the age police. They will pounce on you so fast it will make your head spin, and you may not even be allowed on the teen grid after that.
PG vs. Mature
Land in SL is marked either PG or Mature. Those ratings are something like the ratings used by the movie and television industries to denote the age-appropriateness of behavior, language and creations.
- PG areas are free from sexually explicit language or behavior, swearing and other forms of aggressive language, violent behavior and imagery, and horrific materials.
PG regions are areas where you're free to say and do things that you would feel comfortable doing in front of your grandmother or a grade school class.
There are lots of PG areas in Second Life because adults often seek an experience free of Mature content.
- Mature areas allow adult language and behavior. While exploring, it would not be unusual to come across a couple lounging on a picnic blanket, snuggling by a blazing fire, cuddling on a faraway beach, hugging in a dress shop, kissing on a dance floor, or even walking or flying hand-in-hand.
Residents and visitors to mature areas are free to engage in most adult activities and language. Of course, explicit adult content such as intimate touching must be kept private "behind closed doors," as they say.
Explicit adult language should be spoken only in a private Instant Message (IM) and not in open chat.
In Second Life, chat can be overheard by anyone within 20 meters of the speaker...as if you were standing in the open talking to whomever is around. On the other hand, IM is private conversation heard by no one other than the residents speaking to each other...like a private phone call.
If you can't decide whether your activity or content is allowed in a PG region, then it's probably best kept to a Mature region.
|
