Maybe it’s time for there to be an age Requirement to join BP

[Raul R.]

Im seeing a trend, several kids have been posting on BP wanting to be Investors. As many of you did I posted on one of their posts which I now regret. I’m reading thru the posts and I don’t believe BP is the place for a kid to find a mentor. There are places meant for that like schools and Boys and Girls Club. I’m a father of a 13 yo and 18 yo, even for my 18 yo daughter I would feel uncomfortable for her meeting up someone from BP, maybe I’m old fashion.. This is a forum for investors not for kids. Having kids find mentors in this forum is a recipe for disaster. I hope BP considers putting an age limit before something happens. Maybe I’m overacting, it’s just my opinion..

[Joe Splitrock]

@Mindy Jensen I totally agree that someone under 18 should be free to learn. I wouldn't block them from the site, but I am just not sure BP has safe guards in place to protect minors on this forum. I don't think it is a good idea for minors to be private messaging random adults or meeting up with them. My recommendation is to require a birth date when registering and disable private messaging on any minor. Anything that is being discussed with minors should be in the public forum.

The second issue I see is giving advice to minors. There is something such as reckless advice. It is one thing if an adult receives bad advice, but it is totally different when minor is involved. For example, telling children not to go to college. A child doesn't know how to process that, because they believe a successful person is telling them that. That may not be the case. I know someone used the example of Rich Dad, but that is totally different. That is someone that your parents know and is a real person in real life. Random people on the internet cannot be trusted in the same manner.  

It would be best to block minors from posting, so they would have read only access. If you do allow posts, then admin should be reading every post and deleting any inappropriate advice. The standard for inappropriate to minors is higher than it is to adults. A 14 year old does not have the same reasoning skills as an 18 year old. Laws have clearly established that as fact. There is a reason someone under the age of 18 can't sign a contract. 

My third recommendation is to add a "Report Abuse" link at the bottom of every page. This isn't just to report abuse involving minors but also to report scammers and trolls. 

These recommendations are to protect BP as much as it is to protect users.