In my opinion, it’s the parent’s job to monitor what the child sees or if they think it’s not appropriate for them to see. Every child differs, and there are some 13 year olds who are more mature than some adults, and some that are just as immature as most people perceive them to be. It differs, tbh.
I think that the content on here, because it’s not better regulated, in some cases are too mature for children under 16. Not to mention the rampant glorification of things like gangs, drugs, sex, racism in stories etc, I think that alone is a good enough reason to put a block on the app for children under 13.
I think a lot of stories would benefit from clearer guidelines that are enforced on EVERYONE, Episode included. But, for a story or two that I’ve written- yes. However, that’s why they are releasing Ivy- for more mature content.
As I have a 10year old (not far away from the teen years
i. No, they are guilty of breaking at least 1 guideline per story- not to mention, they usually suck.
ii. Sure, my story (while it has a few ‘curse’ words thrown in) is a pretty innocent story.
iii. Hell.No. They’re the worst at glorifying abuse, gangs, etc.
iv. I’d pre-screen, but thankfully my son isn’t into story apps like episode. But this also goes for if I ever have a daughter, too.
I think that people would like to believe that moms are too sensitive and that “they’re just stories”… but the fact is, and speaking as a mother, we want your safety- both physically and mentally. Stories have takeaways. They have meaning and intent. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a story. Therefore, yes, I think that Episode should take more care to screen the stories on their app and get rid of all the stories (their stories, too.) that do not meet the guidelines. Kids are impressionable. We have to acknowledge that and try our best to promote healthy things and give more positive messages (strong, independent MCs, people who stand for their morals/beliefs/religion, no matter the cost, someone taking care of their mental health issues, etc) through our stories.
Some stories are perfectly fine, but others obviously violate guidelines, even though they are popular and have not been reported or taken down.
I think Episode should at least be a 16+ app for all stories. However, many stories are 13+ in my opinion. I think Episode should just reinforce its guidelines more and make sure that all stories are appropriate as best as they can even more. I know the Episode team is doing their bes though.
I think letting a 13 year old read an official Episode story is fine. There are many mature books, too, targeted towards 13 year olds. I haven’t read my of the official Episode stories though, so I’m not too sure.
I’m writing my story with a 12-13 year old audience in mind.
A lot of the trending section stories are way more mature. I guess some 13 year olds can handle that…but I wouldn’t want them to be reading that kind of stuff. It can be dangerous, since they’re impressionable.
I think so, since those are the stories that are usually way too mature or seem to almost violate some guidelines.
There’s an app that is in beta testing at the moment, i believe, called Ivy, which is the mature app of Episode. Moving those stories to that app could help.
I think that a few old authors got really popular with stories that dominate the trending sections (teacher/student relationships, gangs/mafia/Stockholm Syndrome stories etc) and other authors saw that success and decided that that was the only way to get reads. That’s why almost all ‘trending’ stories are copy-paste versions of each other. Honestly, if you change the names, they’re almost all identical. “Suzy No-SelfEsteem meets Axel/Jaxon/Giavonni/Damon, the SEXY Bad-Boy-Billionaire-CEO-Mafia-Leader-Were-Pire-Hybrid. Can she resist his borderline personality disorder and compulsive need to control her every move? Of course not! BeCaUsE hE’s SoOo HoTtTtTt!”.
Imo this is about as damaging as it gets. The message is the same : Women are weak and need rescuing and to be told what to do/how to behave because they’re mindless and incapable of handling anything on her own.
And, yes- 98% of the entire trending section promotes unhealthy behaviors and situations or misrepresents SA, abuse etc as “but the LI swoops in and saves them!”- Have these people never though Hmm this might be offensive to people who’ve been in situations that caused them physical/psychological harm? Nope, all they thought is “look how I can be validated by a bunch of underaged kids liking my sexed up story and maybe epsiode will buy and butcher an already damaging story! yay me!”
I think parents should definitely be cautious. I wouldn’t want my future kid reading the stories on this app lol. Mainly because they either aren’t ready to learn about the ideas, or the thought of these ideas might be too hard on them and realistic for some.
I think that all of episode stories are going to be softcore. BUT, I know that a lot of older community members (like myself) am looking forward to writing/reading things that the Community puts on there. Being given less restrictions on content will let us explore things like mental health, drug addictions, etc. without having to slap candy-coating over everything for the “kids”.
Sadly it’s true for 98% of the trending sections. And I wouldn’t want my sons to read the stories and thing "hm girls like a controlling a$$hole. Or my god-daughters reading and thinking “hmm women are weak and need a man to do everything!”
Honestly, coming from an app that is also marketed as 13+, the stuff I see on there is nowhere near as mature as what is portrayed on the Episode App.
What people see immediately after entering the app is Episode original or bought stories, which notoriously break a guideline or two, plus the trending section which… I’m not even gonna talk about. The point is, Episode has these gorgeous guidelines which determine what is appropriate and what isn’t, yet authors always find ways to include whatever they want without necessarily breaking the rules. And sometimes they even get away with it.
If even after adjusting their guidelines in October last year, stories which many people still consider inappropriate for the kind of app they’re published on appear on the shelves, then I guess that wasn’t enough.
Just reinforce them in a way that isn’t too restrictive for authors but that would still avoid this content being shared so effortlessly. If that’s too much of a bother, just change the app to 16+.
A lot of movies have to edit out an f-bomb or two to get a PG-13 rather than an R rating so under 13s can enter without needing a parent/guardian with them which means more people in seats which means more currency. It’s the same for episode, 13+ means more gullible children to scam out of this parents hard-earned cash and more money in their pockets.
It’s honestly sad. Young children 13 year olds. I’m not talking about underage children.) are taking in these very bad life lessons from stories that, frankly, shouldn’t be available to them (but are too easy to access) and it’s the author’s fault for writing inappropriately/finding loopholes around the guidelines and Episode’s for showing such raunchy content to literal children.
1. Do you think that Episode is too mature for a 13+ rating? I mean, have you seen 13 year olds in todays day and age? They look and behave as if they’re 10 years older than what they are.
2. Do you feel like your story would benefit from a higher age rating? 100%
3. Who’d you let your hypothetical 13 year old child view:
i . An Episode Official Story Probably not as I’ve seen a few that have broken rules.
ii. YOUR story? Definitely not, lol.
iii. A trending section story? Nope.
iv. ANY story?! Probably not since we all know what most stories on Episode are like.
4. Any final thoughts? I understand Episode can be brutal with some of the stories, but it’s the parents job to ensure what their children are up to. Keeping an eye on them for 24 hours is impossible, but there’s certain ways to ensure you can keep control of what they’re getting up to on their devices. There’s so many parental apps out there which I have used for my niece. I blocked plenty of apps that I know aren’t suitable for a 13 year old. Just research and if it’s inappropriate, block it.
Do you think that Episode is too mature for a 13+ rating? or do you think the s0ccer m0ms are too sensitive?
No… because I was once 13 and never seen a problem with anything and my mother knew what I was reading because she trusted what I watched wasn’t anything I would’t also see in a movie.
Do you feel like your story would benefit from a higher age rating?
I don’t know… I mean when I was 13 I was reading stories like what i’m writing… I guess it just depends on the person.
Who’d you let your hypothetical 13 year old child view:
i . An Episode Official Story
Yes
ii. YOUR story?
Yes… And maybe because growing up everything I put into my story is something I knew about at 10 not even 13.
iii. A trending section story?
Yes… like I said earlier movies that are rated pg 13 can be crazier than episode stories I read that are definitely for mature eyes
iv. ANY story?!
Yes… because I grew up knowing a lot and being more mature than my age range and it feels if the teenager clicks on any book and it has something they know there parents may not like or is to mature for them they can click off. We are all capable of having the ability of knowing what we should read and not.
(Just my opinion)
Yep, I’m aware this is the reason behind it sadly
Which is why I also said
It’s just upsetting. I’m not directly involved with this, as legally I’m an adult, but it still feels wrong.
I mean, people complain about the guidelines being strict, forgetting that the app is rated 13+. The things people do for money, while they also contribute to creating armies of stans with degenerate ideals and morals…
Though I find that the no guns on covers rule a little ridiculous, I understand that these guidelines were needed if Episide was to keep its PG-13 rating. If not someone might report it to a local authority, and the whole case could blow up and end in a lawsuit.
I found the whole #episodeonstrike thing a little ridiculous, because:
, would authors want to put their stories on there?
