let’s not forget there are parental controls on phones/ipads/tablets to block out every app that’s not kid ratings to make sure they don’t get on games/apps that can harm them.. but with the age gap lowering in the App Store/play store to a kid rating well… there will definitely be more minors on this game than ever before let’s just put it that way🙁 #harmful for kids.
Then you at least have enough proof to show you had no bad intentions if it ever went to legal action and can be seen as just a bad thing that happened after you made a reasonable attempt to make sure they were legit
so tldr you guys noticed that 13-17 year olds are a potential new source of cashflow & wanted to get more players bc a 13+ app store rating has more reach
Yeah this. Thats probably why they are making/made the ec dn change through the appstore. They wont have to scroll past the possible r rated stats or avis its just strictly currency and dn. Kids can ask for gift cards that will allow them to then get the avis and what not...
And you think Akon was the only one who got fucked over, or do you think that those who were supposed to make sure minors didn't enter the club also had a bad half-hour? IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I AM SAYING. Maybe I'm not able to explain myself, maybe my translator doesn't translate the same words I use, but... Right, wrong, agreeable or not, whether I make a joke in a club on this app, or on the street, to a friend of mine, there is still the risk that a child will hear me. Does this make me a predator? No. Same thing if I am in a 21+ club, hitting on someone and a minor, who shouldn't be there, hear me. Does this make me a predator? No. Unfortunately, it's not how it works here. Cause you all are going on talking about real life, but the context is completely different. Since we all started reporting predators (RIGHTLY!), there are also people who have realized that that label makes a lot of noise and creates indignation and who, therefore, have started abusing it, sometimes even just to find a fake excuse for sfw. A friend of mine was once telling how her office hours had been cut in half, and so she was thinking of starting dogsitting and babysitting cause she likes dogs and kids. They called her "predator", but not zoophilic, just predator, completely ignoring half the conversation just to throw shit at her. She has received lot of bullying and hate for that and she quitted. You imagine this psychosis, from now on. I love to help new members when I can, because I wish I had someone to help me when I first started. But now I don't know if I want to do it. As I told you in the example, even if I add a new player, JUST TO HELP HIM and become friends with them, if tomorrow it becomes known that they are a minor and that we talked every day, that label will be stuck on me. Because just knowing that I was in the DMs of a minor (even if without my knowledge) would make people say: "Well, only a predator would write to a minor." Even though I've done nothing wrong. And this is a serious thing, not a game. So, no. I disagree. It's not always our responsability. And in this case, minors are a danger for adults too, as I am saying from the beginning. And this can also lead to the opposite problem! Real predators might use the "I didn't know" excuse. Or the REAL allegations might be understated. Here, we use the example of Pierino and the wolf. Pierino always shouted "there's a wolf!" to prank the others. The others believed him the first time, the second, the third... But when the wolf really arrived, no one believed him anymore. You and I are partly saying the same thing. It is partly the children's responsibility. If I know it's illegal to steal, but decide to do so, it's my responsibility. Whether I'm 13 or 25. Part of it is certainly the adults' responsibility. Although, as I am, I'm so naive that if I make a joke in CC to a friend, I do it on the fly. I don't start thinking, "Wait, there could be a twelve-year-old!" And I don't do it with bad intentions. I just don't think about it. And I like to think that in most cases, most people are like me, with no bad intentions. But, certainly, most of the responsibility lies with ATA. They put in place a lot of restrictions just to say, "We did our part," and then wash their hands of it. It's a false protection for minors because they know full well that these restrictions won't keep minors away, but will push them to lie. We've all been teenagers. We all know how it works, including ATA. And still: soft RP is allowed in a public channel, RP clubs are allowed, etc...
THIS TOO. Do we want to talk about PIMD spots on socials? They totally make PIMD look like a game for kids.
Another question will the kids see the part to join disc on load up screen??? You've taken that away right?
If you’re so concerned about this, read up on Discord’s own parental and teen-safety controls. 13–17-year-olds have teen accounts with built-in protections: 18+ servers and channels are blocked, sensitive content is filtered by default, and there are additional safeguards around DMs and friend requests. Parents can also use Family Center to see which servers their teen joins and who they interact with. And even if the PIMD Discord isn’t age-restricted, a teenager’s Discord account doesn’t suddenly become an adult account. Those protections are still there. The PIMD server is also moderated, and mods are regularly around. I actually support removing the Discord button. But given how popular Discord is with teens, there’s no guarantee they won’t find it themselves or end up in unofficial or poorly moderated PIMD servers. Bans create workarounds and can push kids toward less safe alternatives, so teach them how to navigate online spaces safely instead. ATA has responsibilities, sure. But they’re not your child’s internet nanny. Discord has safety tools. Use them.
Tbh I get your intent. I don't disagree with some of your points either, and I don't think you're actually far off from where the future is probably headed on this. The only distinction I'd make is that this is more of a platform-level solution than something the app handles itself. Apple has already introduced adult verification in places like Texas, where new users can confirm they're 18+ using a government ID or another accepted method, and then the App Store passes an age bracket to apps like PIMD instead of the ID itself. Brazil has also adopted a similar platform-level age assurance system, and Google is rolling out similar age assurance systems where laws require them. More countries are also adopting or exploring this model, so it's entirely possible it becomes much more widespread over time. So I wouldn't want PIMD collecting IDs itself, but the broader idea of verifying your age through the platform first using a government ID is already becoming a real direction regulators and tech companies are moving toward.
This is actually wrong. Noticing that kids are playing is not a reason to change the game age rating. The game age rating is based on a games content. This game is not for kids in any way. Compare this to say gta. Everyone knows kids still play that game even kids as young as 5. That doesnt mean its now a g rated game. It has always been and will always be a 18+ game due to the content of the game. You have changed the rating purely to open it up to more engagement and more people to get more money. You are a gaming business so the point is to make money. Everyone gets that part. But at least be fuckn honest about it to your players. You have people who have been on this game longer then some of the kids joining this game have even been alive for. Show some fuckn respect to the people who helped keep your company alive and just tell the truth about what you are doing. Its only going to take a few reports to the app stores for exposing kids to adult content for your companys existence to be at risk. You are making alot of people angry at the moment and you have seen how psycho people on the internet can be. Do you really want that directed towards yourself?
I get it. I just expect better from a Canadian company. Especially since the Canadian government is proposing laws to protect children online from adult platforms and social media platforms (which are expected to pass, remains to be seen, but there's a strong chance that they will according to Canadian experts). The pathetic attempt they just did at lowering the rating to make more money and restrict gameplay with a simple age slider and some vibe coding is not going to be compliant with those laws since kids can just make an alt and click an age above 18 on the slider to bypass the entire thing and access what is basically an adult dating-lite app. This is just a panic button by the company and a clear attempt to look good on the surface just in case the laws pass, while getting more money from kids and it still won't fly, because I'm definitely reporting this game to the consumer protection and competition bureau, as well as reporting it to the ESRB once and if the laws pass if the game still has a rating that isn't 18+ 💀 (I'd rather not, but if they don't take this seriously and don't up the rating to 18+, I damn will). Like hell nah... This game is NOT for teens especially since it's a clear dating-lite communications app with sexual content that was always targeted at adults and it has no fully PG version of it (unlike VR Chat and Second Life who actively separate PG and Adult spaces and who have PG versions that have fully functional gameplay, which doesn't incentivise kids to actively try to access an adult version just to be able to communicate with other players for gameplay). What they did is not only terrible design that puts kids in more danger, it's just morally terrible as well... I already reported the game to the Google Play store for the rating not being appropriate as it is. Hopefully more players do the same. I'm not going to stop playing the game over this, but I'm definitely not spending any more money after finding this out until they bump the rating to 18+ and I will keep openly disagreeing with the rating being lowered, as children don't have a voice and need adults to advocate for them. There's a bare minimum to these types of things and I don't feel a Teens rating is appropriate if ATA can't have a proper safe space for their PG playerbase. But I will be honest, doing that, imo, is an impossible task for ATA to do, because unlike VR Chat and Second Life whose community creates 90% of things that you see in game from avatars, clothing to houses and furniture (making the work load much easier on the devs), ATA has to create everything that you see in game. This means that if they wanted a proper fully PG space, they would have to start creating PG content AND the usual adult content for both separate demographics, plus they would have to remove the adult content from the PG space... I just don't see that happening, it would require too much money and recoding. Upping the rating to 18+ is just the best option overall for everyone. Anyways, rant over 😂 I think I've said everything I wanted to say about this issue at this point.
I have a few questions 1. What happened when an adult does eventually interact with a minor in inappropriate fashion? 2. What are the previous changes for if not for allowing minors here? 3. Are dms going to be moderated? Because of the possible interaction between adults and minors? 4. Why do you want minors here if not to get them to make purchases in a game already addictive to adults? 5. When do the blockers come down? It seems like an eventuality 6. A statement really not a question but no 13 year old should be in any party in any dorm.
Okay but opening doors for 13 year Olds is the answer then? Let's make strip clubs open for teenagers but they have to wear black out glasses!! (that slip right off)
For players identified as aged 13-17, the following features are disabled: Direct messages Wall messages Viewing or sending messages in public chat Viewing or sending messages in club chat Friends lists and friend requests Trading and gifting Custom profile text Other direct player-to-player social interaction These players may still be able to upgrade, complete available quests, join clubs and participate in parties, but they will not be able to communicate with other players and other players will not be able to communicate with them. I also understand that you may have a "this isnt a perfect system but it's a system". But its not even a system. Kids will realize they are restricted and now they are redownloading and lying about their ages. A system that doesnt work is not a system at all and "somethings better than nothing" doesnt really fit that argument? Honestly I do not see how this has helped at all, just like how the new chat features and sections as their monitoring has no helped at all [ive been in discord AND reddit and it is nothing but post after post about improper silences. I love the updates they are heckin cute and just fun to look at- but this whole overhaul of chats is confusing and leaves many people unjustly silenced and the new acomidations for players 13-17. Respectfully, this looks like a poorly organized update with an atempt to cash grab at minors who are using their parents money on the game. Hopefully things will smooth out and I will see real change taking place and real updates being rolled out as we trial and error some of these changes. But Ive played enough games like this and been on the internet long enough to know were going to have minors lying about their ages running rampant in the game because now its for 13+
This was my exact thought. This feels like they realized they fucked up with all the price changes and now they need kids who dont really have to have a concept of "bill/life money" and rake in those gains.
Exactly. They were like: "We're trying to make the game boring for minors so that they will give up" but it's obviously a lie. The videos promoting the app are a decoy for kids. That means they want kids to join. They have just used a restrictions way to push kids to lie about their ages cleaning their responsabilities about that. That's not fair for kids, but for all of us too. We supported ATA playing this game for years and spending money. But since lot of us, showed our disappointment by deactivating VIP submissions, or spending less, they needed to grab money in another way. I think we should start to make more noise, not only by stopping spending, cause there will always be someone spending on this app. We should find other ways, out of this app...