I Need Help with a Forum Issue
Okay so, a little about me to begin with.
I’m 13 years old, and enjoy playing guitar, reading, and am an avid gamer.
Considering I enjoy gaming so much (Super Smash Brothers) in particular, I decided to join a forum I’d been following for a while, but which I was too young to join (I waited ‘til I turned 13 to join the site). I loved my time there; I was able to chat with like-minded people, and relax and unwind when I really needed to.
Fast forward a few months, and a new user arrives. They’re an absolutely horrible, but have been on the site for a while, and are fairly well-liked. Quickly, they spread their.. toxicity with other users who I used to admire to the point that I feel sick being around them. Soon, I feel completely isolated.
Fortunately for me, this user has an awful habit of drawing pornography, which they mention frequently. In addition, they also made public that they had recently shared a large about of said pornography with other users, one of whom was underage. As the forum rule state, sharing pornography with any user, not just underage ones, is a severe violation of the forum’s terms and will be punished via a permanent ban.
Seeking revenge, I went to the administrators of the site, and over the course of four weeks and seemingly endless nights of stress, anxiety and obsession over the matter, I managed to get everything the admins needed to dish out a ban. I received a PM from one of the admins the next day stating that the user had received a warning. Now don’t get me wrong, the administrators of the site are great people, but that was too far.
That user had shut me off from the people I felt comfortable around, and caused me enormous amounts of stress and anxiety, and all they received was a warning.
But, not wanting to pester the admins any longer, I left it at that.
Comments
Hey there @Thesaurus
I am sorry to hear that you have been having trouble with a forum that has been really helpful for you in connecting with people. Its understandable that you want to take a stand and keep that forum a safe space for underage users. I had to delete part of the post you made as it violated our community guideline 'Posting about breaking the law or encouraging others to break the law'. In terms of what you can do to take this issue further, there is a formal route you can take. Check out https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/ for more information as to how you might be able to take this issue further.
If you scroll down to the bottom of this page https://esafety.gov.au/parents you can anonymously report the issue.
Hope this helps 🙂
Might I add, how do I use the site in a way which could help me? In addition, would my identity be protected? I’d rather my parents not be aware of this..
Hey @Thesaurus , no worries at all! It looks like you can report a breach anonymously using the second link if you scroll all the way down! How are you feeling about the whole situation tonight? Have you been able to do anything to keep your mind off things? Do you think you could gain support through members at RO while you are feeling uncomfortable using that other forum? 🙂
Ah, I’ve just found an issue..
Being a global site, Smashboards is home to users from numerous countries; the user who has been causing me trouble doesn’t live in Australia.
Alright so, it turns out my account is going to be temporarily paused due to me being a tad too young for the site.
Is there any other way in which I could contact you?
🙂
Interestingly, I replied to the email and received an automated reply informing me not to directly reply via email..
Should I try again?
🙂
Ah, thanks heaps @TOM-RO . Although, what would reporting the matter accomplish? As horrible as it is, what I have in mind is outright banning the user from the site; their seeming omnipresence throughout the forum makes it impossible not to think about them..
As for how I’m feeling about the issue.. well, just as I have for the last month and a half; obsessed and furious. I know it’s not healthy, but I’m actually feeling quite relieved at the prospect of finally being able to resolve the issue.
I do actually have three lovely people on Smashboards who I PM regularly, so I have company in that sense. Thank you for asking. 🙂
That is great to hear that you have company on that forum. You mentioned feeling relieved, it sounds like you have figured out how to resolve the issue. If you feel that reporting it to the authorities is not helpful, it is probably best to chat to the admins again. By the way, I sent you through an email I’ll definitely check out that site, I appreciate it.
Sent from my iPhone
