I don’t think so, but you could always put a reader message saying that alcohol should be consumed in moderation etc if you want!
This is my biggest question right now, especially regarding tamer words (at least to me) such as hll, dmn, ect. I’m wondering if we can even have a character say they’re “pissed” or “pissed off”. Can we substitute words, like “crap” instead of “sh*t”? Or does everything need to be censored if it’s being used in the place of a traditional cuss word?
I’m probably overthinking this, but some further clarification would be great 
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But the app is for children technically so you shouldn’t write these stories in the first place
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at this point, it’s just for 9 year olds.
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And episode original stories are written for children are they…? Pfft, spare me!
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I mean come on, those controversial ads that we saw (one of the main reasons why most of us downloaded episode in the first place)were NOT geared towards children.
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And I can’t wait to see if the big authors have to change their covers as well… 
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I don’t know why people keep saying they need to make this app appropriate for children. The app is for 13 and up. Episode isn’t responsible for anybody outside that age range, and it would be impossible to expect them to regulate this app for children unless they’re planning on lowering the age limit. They need to be mindful of what they show to teenagers. I’ve always been disturbed by the way they target teens with overly sexual ads and I’m glad they’re FINALLY addressing that after all these years. But this app is not for children. They need to make it age appropriate for 13 year olds, not 9 year olds. Apps usually aren’t expected to keep their content safe for ages that aren’t part of their age bracket. That defeats the purpose of having an age rating.
I don’t know what on earth is going on. There’s literally no middle ground with Episode. It’s either one extreme or the other 
Can we please have a reasonable application of the guidelines that is in between flat out ignoring erotica and strictly prohibiting anything edgier than Sesame Street? Middle 
ground. Balance. Common sense.
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I understand but they are trying to make everything for 13 year olds and those are children
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Hun 13 year olds are children
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The rules aren’t even that strict. They’re basically the same as before except they’re coming down harder on covers and they’ll be coming down on stories that don’t adhere to guidelines.
Edit: Also now we have to censor swearing, which isn’t that big of a deal.
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13 year olds may be children but they’re also teenagers. We all know good and well that usually when people refer to children they’re referring to people under the age group of 12.
I think recognizing this difference is important when it comes to speaking about the expectations of the guidelines Episode enforces.
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I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY NOW?
You could do it when u finish the other app.I don’t agree with any of these. MANY AUTHORS THAT WORKED SO HARD. U R ALSO BREAKING YOUR GUIDELINES.
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Ok and I’m not saying that but the team are just trying all of a sudden to justify the app being 13 and within the guidelines
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And as Liz mentioned above they’re in the process of reviewing their own stories and will be changing them to fit guidelines
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Another curious (and most likely confusing) thing is the Assault, Violence & Torture rule:
No graphic / explicit / detailed descriptions of rape / assault / murder / torture / violence / gore / etc. This includes (but is not limited to): heavy or excessive use of blood or weapons or scars, use of dead bodies or body parts
So if a character is killed on screen, does that mean you can’t show the body (even briefly)?
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I’m pretty sure you can, as long as it’s not excessive? Which I think means zooming in on it or having a excessive amount of dead bodies. I’d send a ticket in to be safe, but I’ve had my stories reviewed before by the episode team and I was allowed use of a dead body.
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What about pregnancy stories?
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My word.
I can understand the frustration over the actual changes, like censoring curse words or not having guns on covers. But a lot of these things have been in the guidelines for months, if not a year or more. The following is from a post dated from February 2018, last updated by admins 7 months ago as of my posting this comment.
Old nudity/sex guidelines
- Depiction of sex (or anything suggesting that sex is occurring at that moment) in any form, including but not limited to, gyrating bodies, oral sex, or moaning/groaning is not allowed.
- Explicit details of what is happening or has happened off-screen is also not allowed.
- Any nudity on cover art is strictly not allowed.
- Frontal nudity is allowed in a story if it is not excessive, only used in non-sexual situations, and always accompanied with censor bars or scenery to censor.
- Posterior nudity in a story is only allowed in a tasteful and non-sexual context.
Old drug/alcohol guidelines
- No graphic / explicit / detailed descriptions or glorification of the use of drugs / alcohol.
- Characters can consume alcohol, tobacco or marijuana as well as make references to these drugs.
- Characters can make references to harder drugs (cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, etc.) but they cannot be depicted or consumed on screen.
- If a story references characters consuming these substances, it cannot be glorified or encouraged.
- Characters can be addicts or addicts can be referenced provided the representation is respectful, contextually appropriate and doesn’t glorify being an addict.
"Old assault/violence guidelines
- No graphic / explicit / detailed descriptions of rape / assault / violence / gore / etc.
- Authors can give general descriptions or broad strokes, but not details.
- Ex: they can say a rape / murder / assault happened, but cannot describe the details, injuries or physical sensations.
- Physical or sexual abuse can referenced provided the representation is respectful, contextually appropriate and doesn’t glorify being a victim / survivor.
- Torture cannot be depicted on screen. References to torture, and evidence of torture are allowed, but cannot be explicit or gratuitous.
Overall guidelines
- promotes or depicts excessive violence or assault, including but not limited to sexual assault, murder, and torture against humans or animals;
- includes hate speech or content that promotes hatred or discrimination against individuals or groups, on the basis of race, ethnic or national origin, religion, marital status, disability, gender, age, or sexual orientation;
- promotes suicide, self-harm, abuse, or bullying;
- promotes excessive alcohol, tobacco or drug use;
- promotes gambling, betting or casinos;
- portrays adult themes, including pornographic content, nudity, or prostitution;
slanders or libels a person or third party; - includes excessive use of profanity or sexually explicit phrases;
advertises for outside products or services, including but not limited to website links, reviews, and promotional language; - excessively promotes the use of firearms, explosives, and ammunition; or
- excessively promotes a political agenda.
The broad strokes are the same. A few things have changed. The cursing and cover rules as mentioned before are new. The rules are now more specific about how underage characters can be portrayed. They also added a section about allowing the reader to decline sex without punishment. Weirdly, the bit about not being allowed to portray historical figures is new. Overall, though, the guidelines for actual story content are the same, with more specificity.
I’m not thrilled about having to find-replace every curse word either, but I don’t think these guidelines are stifling creativity by limiting the mature content we can portray. We’ve always been asked not to endorse or promote things like sexual assault or gun violence, but we’ve never been forbidden from critiquing it, and that’s still the case if it isn’t excessively violent or graphic. If rules against excessive depictions of torture or glorifying rape are really inhibiting people, they may want to reassess their priorities.
Source:
Anyway, I’m not saying I think it’s wrong of people to express discontent with certain guidelines or to ask for further clarification, but some of the petulant hissy fits going on across IG from people who clearly didn’t even read the guidelines is just excessive.
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