So what changed in the Terms of Service?

[Wincil]

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-so-many-unrealistic-characters-in-the-anime 

This can explain why anime characters look unrealistic. 

[Starberry Passion]

1 minute ago, Blush Bravin said:

When I said the avatars didn't look human, I meant they didn't LOOK human. The look like cartoons who share some human characteristics. I am not confusing the fact that avatars are NEVER really human. To further explain, to me most avatars using Lelutka heads LOOK human, but I've seen some that distort the facial proportions so much that they move past looking human to looking more alien.

 

 

When I said that "they can be an exaggeration all it wants" I was talking to the person who said that, not to you. I also, was not arguing for or against child avatars or saying they don't have to follow anything, I'm pointing out they are not human, just representations of humans as a cartoon. It does exaggerate real life, but they are a cartoon at the end of the day.

[Lilbap]

I wear underwear, even covering over my nipples in case some sick f*...er...person with a mental illness derendered my clothing I don't mind doing it, heck, I am happy to do it. What I don't like is having some (as of yet) undefined modesty covering that could ruin my outfits. Seriously, girl next door skin, shudder. I don't want to find a skin, with modesty covering that's not too obtrusive and have a mesh body update that covers me shoulders to thighs I can't take off, you know?

 

I'm perfectly fine protecting myself, perfectly find complying with the ToS, I just rather it be on a skin level not a mesh level so  ruin my look. I am not a criminal, I don't want to be treated like one.

[Vivienne Schell]

Just now, Starberry Passion said:

Please do not equate child avatars to actual children, child avatars are not real, children are real. Just call them child avatars.

In case you do not know, in almost every european country sharing and publishing sexualised display of children, real children or not real children (avatars and graphics, AI generated), is a crime. You may read the according laws. Or use up Google.

[Love Zhaoying]

5 minutes ago, Ingrid Ingersoll said:

And as someone pointed out, most other platforms like roblox, imvu etc don't even allow nudity. SL is the last place you can go to see nude child avatars with full genitalia. And that's probably why there is panic, because there no where else to go to see that now.

Interesting thoughts, those with child avatars who insist on not following the rules, may endanger everyone else's ability to be nude at all. (Not what you meant, I'm sure but I took it and ran.)

Edited May 4 by Love Zhaoying

[Blush Bravin]

11 minutes ago, Wincil said:

Again that still doesn't address the issue not everyone would want children ngl this can come off as body shaming for some people.  

It's not body shaming. You are using curves to imply that your avatar is age appropriate. All I'm saying, and I have not seen your avatar in person so this is not a judgement on your avatar, but to use the presence of curves in a female body to prove age is just erroneous. Curves in a female body simply indicates that the female has entered puberty or is post pubescent. 

[Qie Niangao]

4 minutes ago, Chery Amore said:

Alpha masks can come off easily just by putting on something else.. and I'm not suggesting that it's something lewd by saying that. My items come off all the time because I hit "wear" by mistake.. or worse yet put on a whole folder.  Even alpha cuts can be glitchy on the bodies they can go on and off with glitches or if a certain clothing isn't made right. As for BOM undies.. the same thing applies it can come of very innocently when you try something else on or do something by mistake. I think the skin rules allow no oppsie accidents either innocent or not. All bases are covered. 

I do want to say something else about this in general. I see a lot of people trying to buck the system already over these rules in this thread.... saying I won't or they won't know. I wonder how many of them are going to end up banned and then go crying that they did nothing wrong on other forums. I can even see the Lindens trying to educate them on rules and being met with protests in return instead of compliance with the rules leading to actual bans.

I mean, logically, anything can "come off" if you hit "wear" by mistake—including the new approved modest skin. (Unless you're suggesting that everyone who ever uses a child avatar delete all skins that don't have the modesty feature. I mean, I guess that would work, but that's pretty extreme.)

It's true that alpha cuts (as opposed to alpha masks) are fraught with peril. I hate them and try to avoid them as much as possible. They're too primitive for purpose. I've taken to rely on complete outfits for pretty much any change I make in public, but I'm not necessarily recommending that, given what it's done to my Inventory count.

(Also, please understand that none of this actually affects me. I never use a child avatar. It's just that the skin thing seems so deeply illogical I can't seem to escape it.)

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

1 minute ago, AmeliaJ08 said:

Therein lies the problem. Plenty are taking it as a "who cares, I'll just report anyone who looks younger than me" opportunity as if they've been handed some kind of superpower. In a sense they're right.

 

Eh. I doubt it. But certainly any avi that looks like a child will be. People have always been able to ban anyone from theireir adult land if they feel the avi looks too young.

[Starberry Passion]

1 minute ago, Wincil said:

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-so-many-unrealistic-characters-in-the-anime 

This can explain why anime characters look unrealistic. 

I am an anime artist, I know they look unrealistic, I am a cartoonist. You're thinking I'm fighting against you, or attacking anime culture or saying they are child. I am not saying they are or not.

I am simply stating they're not real. 

[Wincil]

5 minutes ago, Blush Bravin said:

It's not body shaming. You are using curves to imply that your avatar is age appropriate. All I'm saying, and I have not seen your avatar in person so this is not a judgement on your avatar, but to use the presence of curves in a female body to prove age is just erroneous. Curves in a female body simply indicates that the female has entered puberty or is post pubescent. 

Curves doesn't automatically mean post pubescent again it depends on the person. 

Edited May 4 by Wincil

[Starberry Passion]

3 minutes ago, Vivienne Schell said:

In case you do not know, in almost every european country sharing and publishing sexualised display of children, real children or not real children (avatars and graphics, AI generated), is a crime. You may read the according laws. Or use up Google.

I'm not from Europe so why would I read up on European law? don't dehumanize real actual children by comparing them to child avatars. Just stop, don't turn actual kids into jokes, into cartoons, fictional beings like that.

[Wincil]

1 minute ago, Starberry Passion said:

I am an anime artist, I know they look unrealistic, I am a cartoonist. You're thinking I'm fighting against you, or attacking anime culture or saying they are child. I am not saying they are or not.

I am simply stating they're not real. 

Have you ever heard of something known as a anime caricature? 

[Starberry Passion]

Just now, Wincil said:

Have you ever heard of something known as a anime caricature? 

It doesn't matter what anime caricature says. It's still not real. You can be an anime all you want, you can be an adult anime character all you want... but anime is still not real. 

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

2 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Interesting thoughts, those with child avatars who insist on not following the rules, may endanger everyone else's ability to be nude at all. (Not what you meant, I'm sure but I took it and ran.)

Avi sex is big in sl $$$. I doubt it'll get to that point. However, pedophile rings could get the whole place shut down. 

[Wincil]

17 minutes ago, Starberry Passion said:

It doesn't matter what anime caricature says. It's still not real. You can be an anime all you want, you can be an adult anime character all you want... but anime is still not real. 

Again we know that anime isn't real why wouldn't it matter what anime caricature says it Caricatures are typically based on a specific person Caricatures are usually that. 

Edited May 4 by Wincil

[Rowan Amore]

Laws have been enacted to criminalize "obscene images of children, no matter how they are made", typically under the belief that such materials may incite real-world instances of ***** abuse. Currently, countries that have made it illegal to possess (as well as create and distribute) sexual images of fictional characters who are described as or appear to be below eighteen include New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

No one is saying child avatars are children in RL but there ARE laws around the globe preventing that cartoon child from engaging in adult activity.  LL and SL is global and does need to adhere to those rules.

[Katherine Heartsong]

10 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

So, to summarize a bit.

Are Child Avatars of any age still permitted? Yes. This remains unchanged.

Can Child Avatars continue to interact with those representing Adults? Yes. This remains unchanged.

Are there any new restrictions on the kind of RP that Child Avatars can engage in? No, although any RP must now be in Moderate- or General-rated regions. "Family" RP, for instance, is still permitted. This remains unchanged.

Are there new restrictions on where Child Avatars can be? Yes. Adult-rated areas are characterized primarily by the fact that public sexuality and/or violence is permitted within them; because Child Avatars are not (and have not, for some time) been permitted near public sexuality, they are now restricted from entering Adult areas. This represents a change to old policies.

Are there new restrictions on what Child Avatars can wear? Yes. Child avatars are no longer allowed to be nude, and must, beginning in July, wear skins with baked-in "modesty layers." They must also not wear clothing or attachments that represent or that accentuate the genital areas. This represents a change to old policies.

Are Child Avatars allowed to be present around nudity? No. This represents a change to old policies.

Have the penalties for which Child Avatars are liable should they contravene these rules changed? No. This remains unchanged, although there are a few new categories for which penalties can be assessed (see Adult regions, and nudity, above.)

Has the way in which abuse reports lodged against Child Avatars are judged by LL changed? No. This remains unchanged.

Has the appeal process for ARs changed? No. This remains unchanged.

Has there been any change in ability of landowners to restrict the access of Child Avatars to their land changed? No. This remains unchanged.

 

Most of this remains unchanged. Again, this all seems to me very doable, surely, although some clarifications from LL (particularly with regard to the modesty layer) would be appreciated.

What have I missed?

Great summary. One time I didn't mind colour-coding in the text, thanks @Scylla Rhiadra.

[Daniel Regenbogen]

10 minutes ago, Vivienne Schell said:

In case you do not know, in almost every european country sharing and publishing sexualised display of children, real children or not real children (avatars and graphics, AI generated), is a crime. You may read the according laws. Or use up Google.

In case you do not know (but seeing that you actually used that word yourself you should know): these laws are about *sexualized" display of children.

[Starberry Passion]

Just now, Wincil said:

Again we know that anime isn't real why wouldn't it matter what anime caricature says.

Because you're arguing a totally different thing trying to defend yourself from me when I'm not fighting against you other than stating a fact about anime and other beings online.

I'm not saying you can't be an anime character, or trying to prevent you or saying if you're an adult or not an adult, nor am I saying it's not an exaggeration of humans. I'm saying it's a fictional character and they are a cartoon, that's why they don't look like humans. They're cartoons.

[Blush Bravin]

6 minutes ago, Wincil said:

Curves doesn't automatically mean post pubescent. 

Remember the average span of puberty for females is 8-13 years.

 

The whole reason I keep emphasizing this is because it matters. As long as people think "curves = adult" then they are operating under a false assumption that their avatar must present as an adult.

 

 

[Rowan Amore]

Just now, Daniel Regenbogen said:

In case you do not know (but seeing that you actually used that word yourself you should know): these laws are about *sexualized" display of children.

Which is exactly what the new rules are hoping to prevent. 

[Daniel Regenbogen]

3 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

Laws have been enacted to criminalize "obscene images of children, no matter how they are made", typically under the belief that such materials may incite real-world instances of ***** abuse. Currently, countries that have made it illegal to possess (as well as create and distribute) sexual images of fictional characters who are described as or appear to be below eighteen include New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

No one is saying child avatars are children in RL but there ARE laws around the globe preventing that cartoon child from engaging in adult activity.  LL and SL is global and does need to adhere to those rules.

Sadly the rule changes don't target adult activity. If they did, I would be all for them. They target existence, not actions.

[LittleMe Jewell]

7 hours ago, Alwin Alcott said:

11 hours ago, Theresa Ravenheart said:

Engaging or participating in any event or location where nudity and/or sexual activity is present, encouraged and/or expected.

So any form of nudity is now adult content.

i think your conclusion is debatable, because we can read it in two ways ; 
if it's a combination of the two the word "and" wouldn't be there and just say "or".
With the word "and" is makes the activity required to be present, and the "or" confirms the activity as main reason.

Using "and/or" means 'one or the other or both'.  i.e.

Engaging or participating in any event or location where nudity is present, encouraged and/or expected.
Engaging or participating in any event or location where sexual activity is present, encouraged and/or expected.
Engaging or participating in any event or location where nudity and sexual activity is present, encouraged and/or expected.

 

[Rowan Amore]

Just now, Daniel Regenbogen said:

Sadly the rule changes don't target adult activity. If they did, I would be all for them. They target existence, not actions.

Yeah, they kind of do to the extent LL can without explicitly banning child avatars.  

[Vivienne Schell]

16 minutes ago, Starberry Passion said:

I'm not from Europe so why would I read up on European law? don't dehumanize real actual children by comparing them to child avatars. Just stop, don't turn actual kids into jokes, into cartoons, fictional beings like that.

Anime characters in japanese cartoons and movies are not driven by real humans like in Meta or SL. This is a major difference.

I also agree that it is difficult to determine where art ends and where sexualised abuse starts. But you also should agree that a certain amount of self declared "Art Lovers" are all but "Art Lovers". And to risk our platforms by enabling these "Art Lovers" to  enjoy their interpretation of "Art" without some reasonable restrictions is stupid.

Edited May 4 by Vivienne Schell