This is what we can use to notify new users who don't meet our age requirements as stipulated in the Terms of Use:
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Dear USER,
Thank you for your interest in WiserEarth and your commitment to environmental and social justice issues. The world needs more young people like you making a difference! Unfortunately, we have a policy at WiserEarth that requires users to be 18 years or older to join, therefore we will need to deactivate your account and ask that you participate as a visitor instead. There is a wealth of resources on WiserEarth that you can peruse without a user account, and we encourage you to do so.
Again, please understand that our actions are based on legal requirements outlined in our Terms of Use. You are more than welcome to visit anytime, listen to people's ideas, and stay informed on topics that interest you. We hope that when you are 18 years old, you will join WiserEarth once again.
Apologies for the inconvenience and thank you again for your commitment to a better world!
Sincerely,
The WiserEarth team
Comments (1 - 5 of 5)
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Flag comment for removal JTHESSERT about 1 year ago
accountability
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Ahh, we need to update that. We changed the terms upon signup so that only users 18 and over could register for an account, primarily because of the difficulties of verifying a user's age and any credentials they would submit. Some sites have used credit card submission to verify age, and that's probably the only effective way of going about it. We certainly are not going to ask for credit card submission just for signing up. In fact, we don't even offer users a chance to put down their birthdate on this site. There also is a much greater set of issues to deal with when you have young minors interacting with older adults, and we simply are not a site that was designed with that in mind. Given the circumstances, this why we have elected to set the age limit to 18. However, as we shift our focus to attracting users from various demographics, we'll likely revisit this policy and see what's best for the community.
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Hey all,
Was just wondering: aren't 18 years old mature enough for WiserEarth? and then went checking the Terms of Use to find that the minimum age requirements is 13 as stated in article IV quoted below: IV. Member Registration Process and Obligations If you wish to register and become a member of the WiserEarth community, you must read these TOU and indicate your acceptance at the end of this document before proceeding with the registration process. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) severely restricts what information can be collected from children under the age of thirteen (13). Accordingly, children under the age of 13 in the United States are prohibited from registering for an account with the Service, posting or editing any content on the Service or providing any of their personal information to NCI or to any user of the Service. Subject to the limitations set forth in the prior sentence and by local law, a child anywhere in the world (who is not prohibited from using the Service due to his or her age by the laws in his or her jurisdiction) may use the Service only with the permission and supervision of a parent or guardian. If you do not qualify, do not use the Service. Membership in the WiserEarth community is void where prohibited by applicable law, and the right to access the Service is revoked in such jurisdictions. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you have the right, authority and capacity to enter into these TOU and to abide by all of the terms and conditions set forth herein. Which one is correct then? |
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Nice idea, JT - thanks for the suggestion.
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you/ we could take it a step further and send them a list of relevant sites with active discussions; http://think.mtv.com/ though a kid at heart, i am technically within the age requirements so u cant kick me off peace |
