If you have been a member of the Scratch Community for some time now, you may have heard or been subjugated to Scratch's rules on the website/application called [REDACTED]. In fact, even the mere mention of this websites name in a comment or project description will give you a pop-up telling you that "the comment has a link to a website with unmoderated chat" (despite the name of the website being an actual word in the dictionary that has an entirely different meaning) henceforth the reason I have it censored in this project. So obviously, Scratch doesn't like this site, but what reason do they have? Well, the website is one in which people can chat and share with other people on the internet using servers. The website also, however, has DMs, in which users can chat privately. This is the reason Scratch is so cautious about it. Since Scratch is a website for all ages, they are afraid some kid is going to click on a link and see something they shouldn't or are not old enough to see. You can kinda see what they are saying here, and, at first glance, this seems to make sense. Obviously, however, if it did make sense, I wouldn't be making this project. Now, let me say something before moving on. My last project I made disagreeing with something related to Scratch was taken down by the Scratch Team. Let me just explain that, this entire project, is just my opinion. I am not forcing anyone to do anything, I am not revolting against Scratch in anyway, I am not even trying to get the Scratch Team to change their minds on the issue. I understand that a lot of this stuff is complicated, and just because one person brings up even just a few good points doesn't mean they have to make huge changes to how they run their website. So if you are a member of the Scratch Team and you see this, please don't just take one glance and deem it as "not fit for the website". Also, if you do decide to read through it, I would appreciate it if you kept an open mind. Thanks, (read the rest in Notes and Credits).
So my first problem with Scratch's outlook on the issue is that, they treat the website like it is some wild west. [REDACTED], however, does have regulations, and can ban people who are breaking any of their own set of rules. Furthermore, most [REDACTED] servers also have their own rules and regulations on top of these. But obviously, these rules are way less strict then Scratch's, and tend to not always take little kids into account. This, however, brings me to my next point, in which, you are NOT allowed to have a [REDACTED] account unless you are AT LEAST older than 13. This means that, in order for a person to even join a server or friend somebody on the website, they would have had to, 1. Have an email 2. Have already made an account, and 3. Agreed to all the terms and services INCLUDING being over 13. This means that, in order for a young kid to even see ANYTHING on this website, they would have had to have been allowed to own an email by their parents AND have lied about their age when signing up. At this point, it is not [REDACTED]'s fault if a kid ends up on the website and is ABSOLUTELY not the fault of whatever legal aged Scratcher happened to share their tags so they can talk to friends in a more simple way. The only people at fault in this scenario are the parents of the kid for not monitoring their child. But why do I care? Why do I believe this to be such a big issue. Well, not only is the website a good way for team members to chat with each other and easily share ideas when collaborating on a project, but it is also a great way to continue to connect with friends you made on Scratch once you inevitably move on. I have had other ways to continue some of my online friendships through ways like Youtube, but some people don't have that option. Limiting people to only interacting on your website and yours alone means that good friendships have to be sacrificed when you decide to stop using Scratch, and that is quite unfortunate. So there you have it folks, my full thoughts on the issue at hand. Obviously, some people are prone to disagree, in which I am fully prepared to take all arguments and criticism, in which you can do in the comments below. As I said previously, this is just my opinion, and I don't expect everyone to agree with it. Just keep your arguments civil and criticism constructive please. Much appreciated.
