Is there age restrictions on this website??

[weedoge]

Right to die for everyone with any age restriction.

That's true I think the conflict is that often young people don't want to die but may end up here in error. It's common for the youngest of suicidal people to be making a gesture at least the first few times before they really realise they're ready to give up. I worry about kids who kill themselves by mistake because we're giving out pretty solid info.

it's just my train of thought anyway I'm not at all suggesting any kind of censorship, gatekeeping or banning.

 

[Tiburcio]

That's true I think the conflict is that often young people don't want to die but may end up here in error. It's common for the youngest of suicidal people to be making a gesture at least the first few times before they really realise they're ready to give up. I worry about kids who kill themselves by mistake because we're giving out pretty solid info.

it's just my train of thought anyway I'm not at all suggesting any kind of censorship, gatekeeping or banning.

Well, there is everything but anyway you can be young and firmly suicidal. I was, nothing changed. I know how bad feels judgement based on age if you are sure as I was.

 

[weedoge]

Well, there is everything but anyway you can be young and firmly suicidal. I was, nothing changed. I know how bad feels judgement based on age if you are sure as I was.

Yup we can only draw from our own experiences and while I'd kill myself sooner in retrospect, I would never have done it back then without living until now because I didn't quite have the knowledge I do now. Sometimes a person needs that time I think to really realise whether their life is going in the shitter or not.

it's very complex and I believe humans have a duty of care to one another and that applies to this too. As much as I don't want to live my life, I still think life secretly still wanted by an individual being lost due to a moment of confusion is tragic.

 

[Morning Angel]

That's true I think the conflict is that often young people don't want to die but may end up here in error. It's common for the youngest of suicidal people to be making a gesture at least the first few times before they really realise they're ready to give up. I worry about kids who kill themselves by mistake because we're giving out pretty solid info.

it's just my train of thought anyway I'm not at all suggesting any kind of censorship, gatekeeping or banning.

I feel the same way you do. It's not that I want teens to have no space to talk about suicide because they deserve and need it to. But I worry sometimes about the ones who are impressionable and haven't explored their options yet. But honestly it really is up to them. Some people in this life will endure misery for decades and that can start young.

 

[Pineapplecrown]

......

 

[Weeping Garbage Can]

I'm not sure I think a restriction on age ultimately wouldn't deter someone committed to gaining membership/access to information. A simple couple of clicks on a keyboard/mouse wouldn't quench their reasons for making an account.

Outright banning someone because of age won't allow them to have a chance to experience this community, which could be a sanctuary to them. They wouldn't be able to receive support and take a break from a shitty life with shitty people.

Perhaps if that young teenager felt safe sharing their age on this website, and didn't have to worry about a ban, they could receive guidance, or at least support. They could feel secure that nobody here could control the strings on their life, and be truthful. That is one of the best things about this website, in my humble opinion. To be truthful, and allow free discourse. If a child or teen had access to that, perhaps they could go out peacefully. Perhaps they could find someone to relate to, instead of having to hide or be on the defense to appease some people's moral compass.

But I'm going on a tangent.

I've chosen not to specify my exact age in fear of judgement. But, as someone who is under the age of 18, personally, age bans won't stop me. I could be a guest or make a new account, even if this one is banned.

So to conclude this stupid tangent of mine, although it's sad those who are children or teens have made it to a point where they are on a suicidal forum, I don't think age restrictions will truly help. At least to those that want to be here, who want to not feel alone, who want to have accurate information, and who want to have at least some control over their lives.

 

[Rose]

I think the best thing we can do with younger people is to inform them. A kid set on killing themselves will try, successfully or not, to kill themselves.
When I was younger, I tried to overdose, this was unsuccessful in everything but messing my guts up and giving me almost daily pain. A resource like this could have helped me think it through and make a more level headed decision, whichever way it went.

As Weeping Garbage Can has said, putting an age limit won't deter kids whatsoever, and a community that could be helpful in listening & letting you think things through without pushing you one way or the other (which is a thing that many communities fail to do) would be essentially pushing them away, leaving them alone in their suffering. That could be even more harmful than giving them access to method information.

I can see where people are coming from with impressionable minds not thinking through their options, but I'd rather they find this community than be alone or be pushed by horrible people to either decision (and if we were to push them away, but they happen find it anyway, there's not much we can do to stop them from just... lying). So long as we are supportive & don't try to force them to a decision, there's no immorality at play.

We just have to make sure that we're giving proper information, directing kids who ask for help to specific resources depending on their situation (that could be recommending them other communities, it could be something else), and overall be responsible with what we say. Misinformation, or a lack of information, will hurt a kid a lot more than the information we have here, and pushing a suffering person away from potentially useful resources will never be helpful for them.

Suffering doesn't require an age, so we shouldn't require an age either. I will never hold someone younger than (or different in any capacity to) me to a different standard for being suicidal, or wanting to make any other decision, and I will always do my best to help them think through their options and come to their own decision. It's incredibly sad that people's lives get so bad that they consider options as drastic as CTB at any age, especially a young one, but I don't want to take their agency away.

I completely understand everyone's issues with this, and I don't think anyone is wrong to worry either. In my eyes, it's just a matter of responsibility with how we treat the subject & other people

Edit: just a note, but I don't think "Judge" in the 5th paragraph is the word I was looking for, but I can't think of anything better for the sentence
Edit, again: Thanks to @hikikomori for helping me figure out my darn word choice

 

[hikikomori]

k "Judge"

hold somone to a different stranded?

 

[Rose]

hold somone to a different stranded?

Oh! That'd do it, yeah. Thank you ^.^

 

[hikikomori]

idk i guess im an egotist actually yea i am but i prosanly wont give a 15 year oldadvcie on ctb or someone who hassent wanted to for less than 6 months because its a bit of a phase it seems wrong and they will do it anyway i guess society has trined me to have a " concionce " tho if they ask an open ended qustion i would answer tell

 

[hikikomori]

Oh! That'd do it, yeah. Thank you ^.^

NP YAY

 

[Made4TV]

This site could easily prevent someone from botching a suicide and becoming paralyzed or a vegetable for life. I've also seen good advice giving here especially good probing questions of minors here.

 

[BaconCheeseburger]

what if some stupit kid read this forum then try to play suicide and accedently get killed.

it says if we take innocents to satan he will forget our evil crimes.

1. 'Stupid'? Way to invalidate them
2. Not everyone believes in religion

 

[sadsoul]

It's true that some minors are impressionable and make decisions without fully understanding the consequences. Yes, for some minors ctb is probably not the answer and they can get better. But the very same thing is true for some adults. So I don't think making this about age is very smart.
I don't think you stop a minor from attempting suicide by invalidating their suffering by using hurtful platitudes like "it's just a phase/things will get better/you're too young to be serious about ctb/you can't make a rational decision at that age". What's going to happen is that the minor creates a new account and just lies about their age. Or worse, they feel unwelcome, stop looking for information and attempt via a really ineffective method that turns them into a vegetable.
I just think that SS should remain the pro-choice site where you can talk about your life without being judged, you shouldn't feel like you have to hide something. This site is probably a sanctuary for many young people and taking away that sanctuary would make them feel worse. We should extend our empathy to everyone, not just to adults. You don't have to give anyone information about methods if you don't feel comfortable, but the least thing you can do is to be kind and validating.

Btw I'm 17 and this site has helped me in many ways. It has made me feel more understood and less alone. And it has steered me away from risky methods like alcohol poisoning. So I'm very greatful that this site is so welcoming, even to younger people.

 

[sadsoul]

17-year-old one day before their 18th birthday: stupid kiddo
18-year-old on their birthday: enlightened sage

lol

 

[Rose]

@sadsoul thank you, that was very important & needed to be said. I think it should be noted that, as sadsoul has said, this is a place to talk about your life without being judged. It doesn't matter if anyone, especially a kid, is being irrational. We can't turn them away just because of that, the best thing we can do is sit and listen to everyone who feels like they need to talk, or needs a way out of their pain. Denying that need only leads to potential pain & mistakes (as I said, a few years back I tried to OD, which lead to what will most probably be lifelong pain from my digestive system. I would not have tried this if I knew it had a very low chance of working, especially since that low chance gave way to a high chance of lifelong pain)

and yeah, it is quite silly that we're judging critical thinking skills based on age so rigidly, and dismissing people's experiences & feelings based on that. The human brain doesn't complete development until you're 25, but the fact of the matter is that it is extremely unlikely for age alone to fix mental issues, even if your brain gets more developed it's still cut from the same cloth. I'm currently 18 years old, with a plethora of mental and physical issues, most of which have shown in other people to either not change that much with age, or get worse. Young people are people, as are the extremely aged, as are the mentally ill, and anyone else who differs in any way from the norm. We need to show everyone equal compassion & respect
(Not to mention that a 25+ year old brain is not guaranteed to be... ideal when it comes to decision making. Nobody can be truly objective, and everyone's thought process works differently)

edit: grammatical error, also addition at the end

 

[sadsoul]

@sadsoul thank you, that was very important & needed to be said. I think it should be noted that, as sadsoul has said, this is a place to talk about your life without being judged. It doesn't matter if anyone, especially a kid, is being irrational. We can't turn them away just because of that, the best thing we can do is sit and listen to everyone who feels like they need to talk, or needs a way out of their pain. Denying that need only leads to potential pain & mistakes (as I said, a few years back I tried to OD, which lead to what will most probably be lifelong pain from my digestive system. I would not have tried this if I knew it had a very low chance of working, especially since that low chance gave way to a high chance of lifelong pain)

and yeah, it is quite silly that we're judging critical thinking skills based on age so rigidly, and dismissing people's experiences & feelings based on that. The human brain doesn't complete development until you're 25, but the fact of the matter is that it is extremely unlikely for age alone to fix mental issues, even if your brain gets more developed it's still cut from the same cloth. I'm currently 18 years old, with a plethora of mental and physical issues, most of which have shown in other people to either not change that much with age, or get worse. Young people are people, as are the extremely aged, as are the mentally ill, and anyone else who differs in any way from the norm. We need to show everyone equal compassion & respect
(Not to mention that a 25+ year old brain is not guaranteed to be... ideal when it comes to decision making. Nobody can be truly objective, and everyone's thought process works differently)

edit: grammatical error, also addition at the end

Thank you for expanding on what I wrote, that's exactly how I feel. I'm also really sorry that you're in pain from your OD, sending love to you.

 

[Rose]

Thank you for expanding on what I wrote, that's exactly how I feel. I'm also really sorry that you're in pain from your OD, sending love to you.

Thank you for the kind words ^.^ and I'm glad my expansion was agreeable for you!!

 

[DeletedUser4739]

Just wondering as we do like to support each other in whatever decisions we make as users in this community but it makes me feel SICK at the thought of supporting older children (15,16,17yrs) on this website when they are eccentually still kids and this is a suicide based website.

I have not engaged in this behaviour but others have. I know we offer support and I'm probably going to get blasted for this.. it is So IMMORALLY WRONG and I feel like that needs to be stated

!!!!!!!!

Immorally wrong? That's a double negative. I read some responses before the first question. Now I don't even know what you're asking.

 

[DeletedUser4739]

1. 'Stupid'? Way to invalidate them
2. Not everyone believes in religion

Not everyone believes in spelling and writing coherently either ;)

 

[Shewaitsforme]

I dont think there should be age restrictions either because its not like it would stop underage people from contemplating and even carrying out suicide infact these youngsters who are killing themselves because of bullying imagine if they had come on here, found support like most of us have, would they be here today, im willing to bet most would. That one person who has no friends and finds a community like this and decides not to go through with it again like many of us have imagine that.

Pro choice is just that, we should all support as best we can. Help people evaluate both options only then can they really make a rational choice.

 

[midastic]

I'm 17 and I already am facing so much misery in my life.

 

[MAIO]

Just wondering as we do like to support each other in whatever decisions we make as users in this community but it makes me feel SICK at the thought of supporting older children (15,16,17yrs) on this website when they are eccentually still kids and this is a suicide based website.

I have not engaged in this behaviour but others have. I know we offer support and I'm probably going to get blasted for this.. it is So IMMORALLY WRONG and I feel like that needs to be stated

!!!!!!!!

If I would of succeeded in killing myself when I was under 18 it would of been better for some of the people in my life and mainly me

 

[DeletedUser4739]

I'm 17 and I already am facing so much misery in my life.

For what it's worth, I hope you find helpful people and information here. You are not alone. Many of us here may seem old to you, but have felt similarly since our teens or even younger. There are all kind of perspectives. I hope you find some that make sense for you, and lead you on a path to a more peaceful place in life or death.

 

[DeletedUser4739]

If I would of succeeded in killing myself when I was under 18 it would of been better for some of the people in my life and mainly me

I wonder this about myself, and those people that have been, and the few that remain around me.

 

[worldexploder]

Nobody is talking anyone into CTB on this site. You got the point of this entire website twisted around.