MODS POST : BETA READING ADULT FIC FOR MINORS (Under 18)

[slytherincesss.livejournal.com]

With Drabble Day: Eggnog Edition just hours away, we mods wanted to take a moment to address the issue of beta reading for minors. Minors, for purposes of this post, mean any individual under the age of 18. We realize the age of consent for sexual relations varies country to country, but here's the thing. Even though the legal age of consent in, say, Sweden, may be 15, child pornography laws often discount the age of consent issue and automatically label any representation of sexual activity on the part of individuals under the age of 18 as child porn. As a legal adult (18+), the possibility exists that one might be accused of promoting child pornography or contributing to the delinquency of a minor if one facilitates the production of underage sexual material (which includes fan fiction written by those under 18). For many, this conflicts with the right to freedom of speech, and we understand that on a theoretical level. We'd like to offer the following suggestions:

• KNOW YOUR COUNTRY'S LAWS! Australia, for example, is extremely stringent when it comes to child pornography; other countries are not so rigid. Take a few minutes to Google your country's laws regarding child porn and what constitutes contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

• If someone you don't know well or at all asks you to beta read fic with sexual activity in it for him/her, ASK THEIR AGE BEFORE AGREEING TO BETA.

• If you determine the person asking you to beta is under 18, ASK WHAT COUNTRY THEY'RE LIVING IN. You can then discern whether your country's laws and their country's laws would enable you to beta read adult content written by a minor.

• An adult (18+) beta reading non-sexual fic for a minor is not an issue. Beta away!

• If you yourself are a minor, when approaching an adult to beta read your fic, tell the adult your age right off the bat so that they may make an informed decision. Hi, my name is So-and-So and I'm 15. I'm looking for someone to beta read my story. It's 1K words and has a kiss between two adult characters/has sexual intercourse between two adult/underage characters/has heavy kink between adult/underage characters . . . etc. Describe the fic to the potential beta reader and be specific about what kind of sexual activity it contains. A kiss is one thing. BDSM, anal sex, rape, or cross-gen is entirely another.

• If you are a minor and cannot find a beta reader, run your fic through Word for spelling and grammar checks. Also, Google docs has spellcheck and can be helpful in a pinch

• We are not telling or directing anyone not to beta read for a minor. We're simply encouraging you to make an informed decision. With this information in mind, it is the adult's choice as to whether or not they are willing to beta adult-content fic for a minor. Please, just be advised of potential liability as you consider your options.

• Any minor found to have deliberately lied about or misrepresented their age to an adult may be removed from the community permanently.

When Drabble Day: Eggnog Edition opens, anyone may leave a request for a beta reader on this post. The Chatzy rooms are available 24-7 for writing discussion and support: There's the regular HD Writers room and the SRS BZNS room for timed writing challenges and word wars.

ETA: If you could leave a comment to this entry just acknowledging that you've read this post, we would sure appreciate it. Thanks so much!