We’re due for another follow up question…
If the whole app became 15+ (keep in mind, this is to avoid all the conflict about guidelines)… What do you think the response would be from the 13 and 14 year olds who are on the app already? How would you react if you were one of them?
Open to all, as usual
Personally, I think raising the age just makes people lazy! They fall into the trap of including easy stuff that they know makes people intrigued and the plot suffers. Being able to write an interesting story that captures people without explicit scenes is a real skill!
I mean, you see it now with stories. People include the following things because they know it works:
Sex
Sexual assault/rape
I can see where that would happen.
It’s on to authors to continue to make tasteful stories. I believe that people in general won’t write garbage, though. Just based on experience on other sites where people create stories that are available for all ages. Having all that variety is a much better idea because it includes more audiences. You can have your rated E, PG, R, and everything else in one place.
I doubt we’d see any serious outrage. If that happened to me, I’d easily continue to use it anyway. If they kicked my off on my profile because it was already a thing the app knew that I was 13-14, it isn’t difficult to make another account and say you’re 15+
I actually used to do that in certain things. When I was 16, I wasn’t allowed to buy Skyrim. I was livid. XD I had to get my dad to do it for me, but in situations where it’s a site where there’s stories about a lot of violence and blood (my favorite stuff was about war back then, kinda still is…) I lied to be able to read and view horrifying images and stories created by authors about war and the horrors that come with it. It was all very complicated, talked about war strategy and stuff. O.O
And back at Shannii:
Exactly, people like that garbage. XD
I don’t, I’m assuming you definitely don’t, lol, but if someone likes those stories, they seek them out, cool for them. There’s a lot of premises and ideas put into stories that aren’t necessarily “good” either in opinion or in fact, but people like reading about them.
Now when it comes to Episode and their guidelines, so long as they have 'em as they are, I think all people should try their best to do comply with them. If changes are made, authors adapt. Or rather, not quite because >.> the stories already violate the guidelines. XDXDXD
Well I am 13 so if the app changed form 12+/13+ to 15+ in all honesty I would still read it IF the stories had a plot beyond s*x, romantization of abusive relationships, love in gang/mafia stories, and student+teacher relationships. I mean I’m 13 but I really don’t find those stories appealing 
So like @NelidaU mentioned then, would you just create a new profile and lie about your age to do so?
Actually, now that I think about it, can’t people read without creating profiles anyway? There wouldn’t really be away to keep 13-14 year olds away
I wouldn’t make a profile or I could just lie about my age.
Yeah. I believe that people, just because they’re 13, doesn’t mean they don’t know who they are, who they like, or what’s objectively “bad”. I’m kind of an idealistic optimist. XDXD
BUT, I say that only because when I was 13, I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted, what I liked, what was appropriate, etc. I like to believe that I wasn’t the only one. Just because somebody might be thirteen doesn’t mean they’re completely immature.
Yeah, that too! People don’t even have to create profiles. It was just theoretical, though. Does the Episode app know how old you are even if you have a profile? I don’t think I ever gave Episode that info, but…pfft. Minor stuff. XD
Considering I was 9 when I started reading on Episode (Don’t worry my sister always controled what I read 
) and I had a profile, Episode doesn’t have a clue what age you are.
Someone reported my story just because they didn’t like it. They claimed it was too offensive.
Long story short, my story was taken down and not even for the reason she reported it.
I spent a year writing my story and it included complex directing and choices. It sucks that one petty person decided to practically erase my work because they didn’t like me or my story.
You can’t really avoid awful people in this community.
If that girl didn’t have a personal grudge, chances are it would not have been taken down. I’m positive that since I’m a small author they were more keen on removing it. If my story had millions of reads they would’ve let it slide.
Just on this note… Do you think the theory I made about reporting stories being a bit like reader retention could already be in play? So stories that get reported go off of percentage of reports instead of actual amount? It’s question 6, btw.
I didn’t think about it before, but I think you’re actually right. It might, considering how this happens.
Can’t know for sure, but…I bet it makes things easier in some ways to do it like that.
Well, look at support tickets for example; every time you send one you get put to the bottom. I assume reports work like support tickets. Because this girl went off on me about my story many weeks before it was actually taken down.
Who knows. Maybe she was the only one who reported it.
I don’t know. But the percentage systems seems a bit complex and would be hard to create such a system on episode. So I assume it’s just like how support tickets work.
In some countries, I believe the app is already rated mature. (Actually, it even comes up as mature on my Google play store which is Australian?). Some of Episode’s competitor apps (like Chapters) are already 18+ (I haven’t read any of their stories so I can’t tell you if their stories are more sexually explicit than Episode’s) but I don’t think they have any way of actually monitoring who downloads their app.
To younger readers who are already using the app, I don’t think it would make any difference.
In fact I think the only people who really get impacted by an age rating are users with parents who “police” their downloads.
Oooh I just checked mine and it’s rated M too. I never even noticed before
Yet it’s 12+ on my Apple store (also Australian) 
I’m not really sure how app ratings are determined since it can’t solely be up to the developer if Google Play has it rated as M?
Usually would report it
1a. Depends. If it’s obviously violating I’d reporting but it just seems nice to notify the author instead
Report story > goes through to Episode team > is reviewed > determined violating or not
3.don’t know what u mean
No. Depends how many reports it has ect
4a. Some are too bad and some are worthy of being given a chance
4b. depends on how severe the report is
again depends. if the scene is way too graphic then hell nah that shouldn’t be taken into account. it’s like beating someone but saying “i told her to run” (if u get it)
No, Just no,
Nope
A lot of things on this topic really depends. there cant be the same process for every story
Thanks for contributing…
For question 3, I meant what should an author have to go through once their story is reported and/or removed? Should they be given a couple of weeks to amend it? Should they have to send Episode a copy of their revised version before it’s republished? Things like that.
i agree with the 2nd question.
i agree with everything except for the last bit. it’s not really fair to change the age to play episode because they are many 13-14 year olds that love to play mature stories. if there were a section for those type of stories they should just call it “mature section”