What Is The Age For Joining Hub Pages?

1. 92

   vocalcoachposted 9 years ago

   I just received a notice from a 15 year old girl posting in the forum.  Isn't this too young?

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      agvulpesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This extract from TOS should help you decide:
      TOS Para 3 in part states: "Only adults (18 years and over) may register for an Author account."
      Here it the link to read further details:
      http://hubpages.com/help/user_agreement
      I hope this helps
      Cheers

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   2. 83

      peachpurpleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      yeah, it should be at least 18 years and above. 15 is underage, maybe did the parents consent?

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   3. 84

      Genna Eastposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Audrey...I also thought the age is 18, which makes sense from a liability and other perspectives.  Perhaps this youngster wasn't aware of the rules?  It's been years since I signed up as an author on HP, so I don't know what statements, caveats or warnings automatically default to the screen as part of the enrollment/sign-up process.  But I would think that the "18 and older" would clearly be stated.

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2. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Report her.  They have to be 18. If she has stated her age, copy and post that in the report box too.

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   1. 92

      vocalcoachposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Linda. I thought she had to be 18 but wanted confirmation.  I will do as you suggest and thanks.

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3. 68

   Adam Lee Andersenposted 9 years ago

   In this day in age, I can see your point.

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4. 81

   Mark Ewbieposted 9 years ago

   Seems a shame.  I guess some fifteen year olds would like to write too and have an opinion and knowledge on things worth sharing and reading.
   
   They also must be a key target market for advertisers.

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   1. 84

      Faith Reaperposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, It does seem to be a shame, as I received one too and it was very sweet and I read why she liked to write. However, the rules do say age 18. She is very intelligent.

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   2. 87

      NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. It would be a great opportunity for someone young who likes to write.

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5. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   I believe the age limit is due to taxes.

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6. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   They just sign up and say they are 18.  HP does not have any method in place to verify age.

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      Barbara Kayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I wonder if Google Adsense has the rule you need to be 18.

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7. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   As stated in the AdSense Terms and Conditions, publishers must be at least 18 years of age to participate in the AdSense program. If you are not yet 18, you may have a parent or guardian submit an application using their own Google Account.

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   1. 84

      Faith Reaperposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, that is interesting if she can still write then.

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8. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   She needs to start her own blog. 18 is 18 with HP.

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9. 72

   crazyhorsesghostposted 9 years ago

   The age is indeed 18. Both for Hub Pages and Adsense.

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   1. 84

      Faith Reaperposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, that is what I thought, 18 no matter what.

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10. 0

    calculus-geometryposted 9 years ago

    There are probably tons of minors with HP accounts who are savvy enough not to explicitly state that they are minors.  So flagging users who do present themselves as minors is not all that productive.  (And there's no way to verify what someone says about their age anyway.)  As long as they are not spamming, harassing, or contributing low-quality hubs to the site, I could not care less how old they are (or say they are).

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11. 81

    Mark Ewbieposted 9 years ago

    I wonder if there should be an upper age limit?

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    1. 84

       DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Rofl, Mark!  Yes, who needs doddering old fuddy-duddies such as myself, who have multiple senior moments (aka 'brain farts'), and forget where they put their keys, let alone what article they wrote two days ago, and and and repeat themselves. 

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       1. 81

          Mark Ewbieposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Lol - perfect reply!

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          1. 84

             DzyMsLizzyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             

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    2. 87

       NateB11posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       At age 44, I think I should be banned. I'm grouchy and my knees hurt.

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       1. 92

          vocalcoachposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          LOL!   

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12. 60

    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    I think the age thing may be:  We accept Terms of HP which is entering into a contract.  Minors can't enter into contracts.  Another thing is taxes, minors don't pay taxes.

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13. 61

    The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

    If anyone tries to apply here they have to be 18.

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14. 85

    Marisa Wrightposted 9 years ago

    If you come across a person who is under 18, I think it's sensible to report them, or at the very least, make them aware of the facts.
    
    We've had a couple of good writers who opened an account under 18.   Eventually they were found out and had their account deleted, which must have been very upsetting for them.  Far better to stop them in their tracks before they invest their energy and time into creating Hubs only to see them removed, IMO.  After all there are plenty of other places for them to write.

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    1. 0

       calculus-geometryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Or tell them to delete any reference to their age so they won't get flagged.  For all anyone knows, you could be a precocious 12-year-old.

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15. 44

    Lewis Hammondposted 9 years ago

    Honestly? I don't think 15 is too young for HubPages. Firstly, there's not a lot of discussion on explicitly adult discussions here, and even then, in this day and age, you're going to know a lot of that stuff at 15 anyway! But really, as long as they can write good, interesting articles, why should they not be allowed to join in on the conversation? I think everyone should be able to share their interests, regardless of age!
    
    However, a minimum age is probably advised, as some much younger users probably don't have the most excellent writing skills

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16. 60

    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    Lewis: 15 is a minor.  Minors cannot enter contracts which we do when we accept HP conditions, etc.
    
    Minors do not pay taxes, their parents do.  You have to fill out tax form.  Depending on state, income from HP, etc could be taxable, as Federal Tax on income as well depending on earnings for the year.
    
    They can start their own blogs, websites.

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    1. 44

       Lewis Hammondposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Ah, fair enough.

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17. 64

    gottaloveit2posted 9 years ago

    I sure paid taxes when I was a minor! I was 15 when I started working part time in a dry cleaner.

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18. 0

    ShirleyJCJohnsonposted 9 years ago

    I tend to more agree with Lewis Hammond with most of what he wrote.  Some, most, 15 year olds today have been witness to most anything in the adult world; therefore, their voices should be heard all the same.  And, in agreement again, perhaps sometimes an age limit should be imposed.  Although, I do tend to censor my kids regarding some things, mostly according to their maturity levels, my kids should never be censored in the true sense from anything of the world.

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19. 41

    Albaredaposted 9 years ago

    For me , I think it doesn't matter what ever .
    I mean it's good to start writing in early age and their followers/Audience will determine if she is a good to write or not ,if she writes well , Then why not ?
    
    Best Regards ,

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20. 60

    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    Not only can a minor enter into a contract.  HP, Adsense, Pay Pal etc require PERSONAL INFORMA
    TION which cannot be obtained legally from a minor which is anyone under the age of 18.

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21. 67

    Dressage Husbandposted 9 years ago

    Under English law a minor can enter into a contract with the permission of their parent. This means that they could write here on their parents account. In these cases all the liability rests with the parent who entered into that contract.
    
    The age for some contracts is 16, others 18 and some 14. A minor under 14 is never legally responsible for their own actions (sometimes this is as low as 11). This type of variation in the law makes understanding contractual issues very hard.
    
    In the case of HP the parents consent would be needed, but if this was given then they are accepting contractual liability and would have to cover taxes and all liability issues occurring due to their child`s behavior. I do not have sufficient knowledge of US laws as these are often set State to State, but this would seem to be a parental control issue. Under HP rules the child should not have their own account until age 18 that is clear. The parental control issue is not and I think only a fully qualified lawyer for adolescents would have all the answers.

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22. 60

    LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

    If I remember correctly, this issue was addressed by a minor a few years ago.  I believe the parents had to have an account, etc like you said Dressage.  However they can only be paid by pay pal, and there are a lot of people who do not want to deal with pay pal, or any typed of online service like that in order to protect their banking information, etc.   Then again, how does any site know they are actually  dealing with the parent.

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