Hi! I'm Frank, the creator of Anathema.
I've been asked many times why Anathema, a roleplay site for talking animals, has an 18+ age restriction, so I thought I would post an explanation publicly.
While Anathema isn't intended to have any graphic content, it was still important to me to keep it an adults-only space due to experiences I had as a young person growing up online. I'm 29 now and most of my staff members and friends on Anathema are around my age, or older. Online communities, especially collaborative creative ones like this, make it easy for players to forget each other's ages, and sometimes folks make jokes/communicate with each other in ways that wouldn't be appropriate toward minors. It's easy for adults to violate the boundaries and comfort of minors just by being adults having adult conversations.
I don't think this happens because ALL ADULTS ARE PREDATORS!!! or anything like that, but when you're online, there isn't the same reminder to monitor your conversation that there is in real life when you have young people in the room with you. Additionally, I think RP is a really personal, vulnerable (and, let's face it, kinda weird) hobby. When I was a preteen and teen in RP communities, I had adults regarding me as an adult without knowing my age. Even though no one was trying to be "creepy", it was upsetting, I saw things I wish I hadn't, and it had a lasting effect on me. I don't want that to happen here. I don't want anyone, adults or minors, to be uncomfortable in a space I'm responsible for.
I think minors deserve to feel safe online, especially in this very personal creative hobby, and I don't think that mixing them in anonymously with adults who are in their late 20s-30s nor flagging them as minors in a room full of adults are great ways to make that happen.
While I'm happy to discuss this decision, I am unlikely to ever reverse it. As always, if you have questions about this or any of Anathema's rules, my inbox remains open!
While Anathema isn't intended to have any graphic content, it was still important to me to keep it an adults-only space due to experiences I had as a young person growing up online. I'm 29 now and most of my staff members and friends on Anathema are around my age, or older. Online communities, especially collaborative creative ones like this, make it easy for players to forget each other's ages, and sometimes folks make jokes/communicate with each other in ways that wouldn't be appropriate toward minors. It's easy for adults to violate the boundaries and comfort of minors just by being adults having adult conversations.
I don't think this happens because ALL ADULTS ARE PREDATORS!!! or anything like that, but when you're online, there isn't the same reminder to monitor your conversation that there is in real life when you have young people in the room with you. Additionally, I think RP is a really personal, vulnerable (and, let's face it, kinda weird) hobby. When I was a preteen and teen in RP communities, I had adults regarding me as an adult without knowing my age. Even though no one was trying to be "creepy", it was upsetting, I saw things I wish I hadn't, and it had a lasting effect on me. I don't want that to happen here. I don't want anyone, adults or minors, to be uncomfortable in a space I'm responsible for.
I think minors deserve to feel safe online, especially in this very personal creative hobby, and I don't think that mixing them in anonymously with adults who are in their late 20s-30s nor flagging them as minors in a room full of adults are great ways to make that happen.
While I'm happy to discuss this decision, I am unlikely to ever reverse it. As always, if you have questions about this or any of Anathema's rules, my inbox remains open!
We hope one day you join us in Anathema!! :)
Much love forever,
Frank franknsteins
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