eldritch romance

it’s for their own good.

I just had this epiphany today when I was engaging on a wincest 💕 post on tiktok: the kids are not responsible online and will not block tags and/or not engage with content they dislike or that triggers them. Minors have been ruining fandom spaces for over half a decade now, dressed as the ‘morality police.’ And what used to be these obscure corners of the internet have now become part of the mainstream—as we collectively live the age of chronic online activity.

With that said, I think we have to acknowledge that as adults, we have to take measures to not only protect ourselves, but the children (minors) too—from themselves.

If you partake in fandom spaces, especially in niches that can be considered ‘taboo,’ you should be blocking minors from interacting with your posts. I understand it can affect a post/content’s engagement if you delete negative comments and block users, but I think this is a social responsibility that goes beyond that. We, as adults, have to set boundaries and limit access since it seems we cannot count or expect responsible content consumption.

Not all minors are irresponsible online, but statistically speaking it’s mostly minors partaking in the policing of media consumption and creation. If they can’t self-regulate, we need to set boundaries. And the best online boundary today is blocking.