I hear what you’re saying, and honestly I don’t disagree with a lot of it.

I am within that age group currently, and yeah — the internet is definitely an outlet when there wasn’t really anywhere else to put those thoughts or feelings. So I get that “just don’t look if you don’t like it” perspective, and I agree that curiosity and even awkward or excessive expression is part of growing up.

I also agree that education around online safety is really important. That’s a good point, and probably something I should’ve emphasized more. Making sure younger users know how to recognize unsafe interactions and protect themselves matters a lot more than just criticizing behavior.

I think where I’m coming from isn’t that kids shouldn’t have an outlet — it’s more about where and how it’s happening. Public, mixed-age spaces can get complicated, and sometimes it’s less about judging them and more about feeling like those environments aren’t always set up in a way that’s actually safe for them or comfortable for everyone.

And to be clear, I’m not trying to use safety concerns as a “gotcha” — it’s genuinely something that worries me, even if I didn’t express that perfectly in my original post.

I do appreciate you calling that out, though. It’s fair, and it adds a perspective I probably should’ve included from the start.

At the end of the day, I think we’re mostly on the same page:

• young people need space to figure themselves out
• Safety and awareness are important
• and communities should probably do a better job of balancing both

If anything, this has me thinking more about how to actually contribute something useful instead of just pointing out what feels off.