alright so for the record:
tumblr allows users as young as 13 to use this site, but a safe mode was only offered to users for ACCOUNTS in 2017, meaning that children ages 13 to 17 had unmitigated access to explicit content
hell the app says it’s for ages 17+ but again, TUMBLR ALLOWS USERS AS YOUNG AS 13 TO SIGN UP so THAT’S some fucking inconsistency
tumblr only started offering tag filtering in 2017, meaning that there was no built in way to avoid explicit, sensitive, or otherwise unwanted content other than blocking the blogs, but even blocking the blogs didn’t stop them from showing up in suggestions or reblogs
tumblr rolled out real time messaging with no way to turn it off on a website with NO MODERATOR ACCOUNTS, slow turnover time for complaints, LOADS OF PORN, and CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 13 YEARS OLD ON THE SITE
i am frankly floored that tumblr didn’t get into legal trouble sooner. you had a “post nuts, show nuts” policy, NO FILTERING, and you let kids on here? on a site that you advertised as a “place to explore your identity” that almost exclusively attracted young, mentally ill LGBTQIA folks? you set up a predator’s paradise for accessing vulnerable children.
hey tumblr, here’s how you can ACTUALLY fix this: stop letting minors use your site.
If you can’t do that for some goddamn reason (and let’s be honest here you don’t have morals, this is all about the money) then how about this:
1. Completely BLOCK the messaging option for account owners under the age of 18 to accounts whose users are listed as over 18. 2. Give adult users an option in the settings to say “i’m not a porn blog, but i don’t want users under 18 reblogging or replying to my posts” because hey, that makes some of us uncomfortable in and of itself 3. Hire more moderators and get a guaranteed turnover time for harassment and abuse claims.
either get the kids off of here or make it harder for bad faith actors to get in contact with the kids. your “no nsfw” ban doesn’t do ANY of that.
and while i’m at it you guys leaned on the xkit guy and new xkit to do your bug fixes for you for WAY TOO LONG
