A Guide to COPPA - UPDATE 14th Jun. 2018

[InkyAgave]

What can COPPAs say when they send trades? I know they have a list of options, but what is that list?

Thanks!

[AquilaFuga]

Hello everyone!

twilight sparkle has not been on CS for a few months and this thread hadn't been updated in over a year, so I've gotten permission to take over and update it with some new information. Most of the writing and layout should still however be credited to the original owner.

There've just been some adjustments in phrasing and the addition of more information regarding what COPPA users can/cannot do and such. Hopefully this helps keep the guide as detailed and updated as possible, otherwise it wouldn't be very useful.

Suggestions regarding anything else you'd like to see changed/added are more than welcome. ^^

[lucky333123]

For Can:

Use a Pre-made trade message

[LOCW_Bluestarwarrior]

Okay, it's been so long maybe I remember incorrectly, but... I'm pretty sure I had an avatar as a COPPA'd member. This was a while before the CS avatars, and though I was only COPPA'd for a few months, I could swear in that time I had an avatar.

Is that a recent addition? How COPPA'd members always been not allowed to have a custom avatar?

EDIT:
Also, is there any reason why COPPAs cannot read the human RP forums? That seems rather odd, as there can be the exact same inappropriate content on the animal RP forums as well.

[AquilaFuga]

Okay, it's been so long maybe I remember incorrectly, but... I'm pretty sure I had an avatar as a COPPA'd member. This was a while before the CS avatars, and though I was only COPPA'd for a few months, I could swear in that time I had an avatar.

Is that a recent addition? How COPPA'd members always been not allowed to have a custom avatar?

EDIT:
Also, is there any reason why COPPAs cannot read the human RP forums? That seems rather odd, as there can be the exact same inappropriate content on the animal RP forums as well.

I didn't find anything on whether the COPPA avatar restriction was inputted later, but I'm fairly sure it's always been there?
Just like signatures/interests/etc, a COPPA user could end up sharing personal information/possibly an image of themselves as an avatar if they don't understand the risks.

As for the second question:

Subject: COPPA'd Users question:

They can see all of the forum except the adults chat board, and the human RP board

however, they can't see PMs, so make sure to send any links or messages in a trade message and not in a PM

Any particular reason why they cannot see the human roleplay board? I can understand the adult chat.

because despite our best efforts and strict rules, people continually take the romance scenes too far and the posts would be visible until a moderator comes along to knock them out

I would assume that explicit romance scenes are just more common in the human forum.
The human forum also runs the risk of mentioning other rule-breaking material such as drugs and other banned themes that minors shouldn't be reading before staff can take care of it. ^^

[torbie]

Okay but why did the law pick 13?

[Raire]

Okay but why did the law pick 13?

Because being age twelve or under means you are a child.

Why is this guide not pinned? I believe it would be much more helpful where people could see it.

[torbie]

Okay but why did the law pick 13?

Because being age twelve or under means you are a child.

Why is this guide not pinned? I believe it would be much more helpful where people could see it.

isn't 13 still a minor tho?

they may as well lower the age of majority to 13-

i guess i'm legally an adult lol

[arabella !!]

Okay but why did the law pick 13?

Because being age twelve or under means you are a child.

Why is this guide not pinned? I believe it would be much more helpful where people could see it.

isn't 13 still a minor tho?

they may as well lower the age of majority to 13-

i guess i'm legally an adult lol

This question was asked here (#11) and was talked about: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/busines ... ns#General Questions

[nickjr]

Okay but why did the law pick 13?

Because being age twelve or under means you are a child.

Why is this guide not pinned? I believe it would be much more helpful where people could see it.

isn't 13 still a minor tho?

they may as well lower the age of majority to 13-

i guess i'm legally an adult lol

To me, it looks like you're confusing "child" with "minor"

All children are minors but not all minors are children
Minors = children + adolescents
"Child" and "adolescent" are mutually exclusive

This is how I understood the law while growing up; maybe my definitions are off... But I think I got the gist correct: "child" refers to a preteen (exact boundary varies but is 13 in the US) while "minor" ONLY refers to before the age of majority

Line is more or less drawn around the time when puberty begins

Children shouldn't stay home alone, but minors who aren't children can
Children definitely cannot work, but minors above a certain age (usually 15/16) can
Children shouldn't walk to school by themselves, but minors who aren't children can

This isn't in the same category as the line drawn for voting and military service