There's no way around it...many of the erotic stories that you read online are...well...'erotic' in nature. That means adult situations, adult themes, and...yes, sex. Some times a LOT of sex, told openly and graphically. Even if done in good taste and with direct relevance to the story being told...if it were a movie, it would definitely be an 'R/NC-17' rating at best.

There's nothing wrong with that, afterall, that's what writing erotic fiction is all about. But the stories are often about teenagers. Teenagers who are currently going through the exact same struggles and pitfalls, who are curious about love and sex, and who are looking for something to relate to in terms of how they feel. And let's be honest...to think for one second that teenagers aren't thinking about sex or aware of its existence is just plain ridiculous. BUT...there are many rules, everywhere, that clearly state that no one under 18 should be allowed to read these stories.

Should there be an age limit on the readers who have access to stories containing sex, alcohol, drugs, violence, adult themes, or any of the other issues that many of these stories contain? Are we causing 'damage' by making them available to people who are considered underage?

Or are these stories just as important and entertaining to the younger auience as the older audience? Maybe even MORE so. If a closeted thirteen year old boy is looking for a love story that he can relate to and that he can enjoy and fall in love with...shouldn't he be able to freely participate in these communities and stories too?

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know!

I really don't think that putting a ban on the stories is going to stop anyone from doing anything.

I mean I'll admit that I've sneaked (that doesn't seem like the right form of sneak) into a rated R movie before even though I'm only sixteen.
Having a disclaimer there could mean virtually nothing because some people might just skip it. The rules for who can read a story are extremely hard to enforce, because as I just said, people could just skip right over that disclaimer.

With the whole teenagers and sex thing, I don't really know. I mean I don't see why there is such a big deal because I've read some of the exact same depictions in "Young Adult" novels. And the drug thing is even worse, so I really don't think it's that big of a deal for teenagers to be reading that kind of stuff.

I'm not sure if I just made any sense, but those are some of my scattered thoughts.

~Mikie

I think this is the reason why we have Parental Guidance stuff with regards to TV shows and movies. Everyone know it's inevitable for teens to see a sex scene, so they trust the parents to be there and explain that stuff to their children. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, and more often than not, teens find out sex on their own.

Authors must be responsible with the way they write erotica, that is, if they care about these teens reading their work. Like I said, no matter how much disclaimers we put, these teens will find these stories, and they WILL read it. And if they don't have their parents there to explain stuff they don't understand (and I wouldn't want my parents to be there if I were they) then they only have themselves, the story, and the author.

So I think everybody should just be a responsible person with this kind of stuff.


Rad

well when it comes to stories being 17 and up i justr think that putting a "warning" if it deals about sensitive issues... i mean if the teens decides to go ahead and read it then you can say they've been warned. As well authors can always write what they want it's up to the readers to decide if they will read the story in the end

Is it "damaging" the audience reading stuff on drugs or anything like that ? while it is true that the authors might influence people might think in the end it's their choice to do those "bad things I read in a story"


anyways that's my 2 cents

If various issues are handled well, they can be instructional. For instance, on the subject of drugs/addiction, I've heard alot of misunderstanings, projections and oft-repeated lies.

Addicts don't start out as addicts. The substances that they use influence their behavior in ways both subtle and gross. It takes years of addiction to get to the point to where they don't care about anything but drugs. Addicts progress (or fall apart) at different rates depending on what they are using and their peers.

Example: Speed Freaks aren't your typical junkie. Most of them take speed to perform in school, sports or their job. A typical speed freak might be a high acheiver that started taking speed for exams and decided that he didn't want to give up that edge. He might be a trucker who wants to put another thousand miles behind him.

Example: another atypical type addict is the seeker. This is a person who is highly artistic or spiritual and finds that hallucagenic drugs like LSD or mushrooms open up a whole new world to them that they can tap for creativity or inspiration. [Andy Warhol?] (Other junkies call this place cartoon land. )

The problem is one of authenticity. To write about addicts and addiction, you've got to know what you are talking about. There's much more too it than party, party, party. There's the waking up after being high for days at a time. There's trying to sleep and you just can't because you are still too high. There's waking up feeling suicidal because what you took depleted the dopamine in your brain.

Research can fill in the gaps but be careful who you take to heart. There are people who are as every bit fanatically anti-drug as there are people who are addicted. Years and years of gov't sponsered propaganda has confused a mental health issue with one of willful criminality.

It's a difficult issue, I think...figuring out whether or not kids should have access to the stories I write online. I understand the laws and the rules and the regulations...and it makes perfect sense to me why they're there and what they're trying to accomplish by restricting young minds from being corrupted by these things. So a part of me is seriously concerned about it.

However...as with everything else, a teen's maturity has to be measured on a person to person basis. There are teenagers out there who have no business whatsoever reading these kind of stories online. And yet, at the same time, there are teenagers (some even younger, in my online experiences over the years) who seek these stories. Teens who (like me at that age) just wanted to wipe away the fog and the lies and the nervously admitted bullshit...and get down to what love and sex was really all about. teens who want to reach out and connect to something that maybe understands what they're feeling, and doesn't sweet talk them, preach to them, water it down, or make it out to be something bad all the time in order to discourage them.

Yeah, I realize that this makes me sound like a 'demigogue' of sorts. But while I do agree that it shouldn't be out there for all teenagers to see, it should be available to boys or girls who go looking for it, and want to see it. If anything that I've ever written has helped just one teen to unscramble his thoughts, accept himself, and maybe cut through some of that mystery and confusion surounding the idea of teens having sex (which is NOT an unheard of concept, I don't care WHERE you live!)...then it's worth it.

I say, let them read it. If you're old enough to enjoy and understand it, you're old enough to have access to it. Just my opinion.

I believe that certain European countries have the right idea - "don't treat our youth as being stupid". They are anything but .............

Our young adults (13 and over) may lack experience and sometimes make poor choices as a result, generally for not having a full understanding of consequence or more likely choosing to disregard consequence whilst testing boundaries, but they are basically preparing themselves for becoming fully fledged adults. The only way to assist them is to let them make mistakes and then get them to choose the best course of action to make amends if any harm has been caused. We live in a hands-on world. Taking away the opportunity to allow young people to learn life lessons will invariably diminishes their ability to cope with challenges presented to them when they eventually leave the nest.

I wish I had these resources available to me when I was growing up in a redneck town in Oz back in the 70's. The isolation and hurt would have been very much reduced if someone had explained to me what I was feeling. Or I should say, I was given the CORRECT information.

In my vernacular, sex is coupling in the absence of emotion other than self. Making love is a natural physical expression which may involve coupling. These are lessons we should be teaching our young. Most adults, and I use that term loosely, are so constipated about these subjects. This leaves the question as to who our young should learn this from.

I agree with the suggestion of providing a warning of the content. Just word the warning in such a way that if they proceed beyond this point then they are solely responsible. My god, there is that word again. Wouldn't the world be a great place to live in if people took responsibility for their own actions!

Comicality, I love reading the stories in the Shack. You have an exceptional gift for exploring emotion. You have given me pause for thought on many occasions. I thank you for sharing.