

Under-18 users request to open up Google+ for them - samrat
https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/embed/?place=topic%2Fgoogle-plus-discuss%2FRTh_laUTRFo%2Fdiscussion#!topic/google-plus-discuss/RTh_laUTRFo/discussion

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ttttqqqq
I love Google marketing, it's like a Soviet propaganda assault. "The masses
are clamoring for Google's new product. The next generation has spoken."

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dekz
Although my heart goes out for William (<http://d.pr/41VG>), I am quite happy
google hasn't offered rich text features in plus.

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corin_
There are some formatting options available -
[https://plus.google.com/106788603501468469828/posts/849WcarV...](https://plus.google.com/106788603501468469828/posts/849WcarVCQA)

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FreshCode
This is hilarious! Looks just like my little sister's Facebook feed.

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chunky1994
It's quite frustrating when you're 17 and can't use it, this is going to make
a lot of kids unhappy.

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brackin
For some reason me and my friends are in and i'm 17. I don't remember entering
my age into Google, I never lied just never entered it. Not sure what their
data source it. Once hunch was Google accounts which use YouTube as they have
an age limit.

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avolcano
Same here. I just did some poking around for places to put a day of birth into
Google or see what my current one is and couldn't find one (not in Google+ or
on the Google Accounts page). I have a feeling your YouTube theory is right
though; there's a good chance I set mine to be a year older so I could watch
the age-restricted videos.

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bdhe
Moreover, as far as I can tell, there is no way to change your birthday
(without involving a credit card #). Heaven forbid you accidentally entered
your birthday wrongly the first time, you're locked out with little recourse!

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acak
While the intention is noble, the illusion of scarcity and exclusivity around
G+ that this creates among teens should actually benefit G+ when its finally
open to them.

Kids to want to be acknowledged as grown-ups. It frustrates them a lot when
someone says they can't have or do something because they're too young. This
should increase the desirability factor of G+.

So G+, by using a roll-out strategy that is demographically reversed to
Facebook's path (".edu" limitation et al), may still see the same crazed
adoption in the teen segment.

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Mithrandir
Of course, age limits are moot if they've lied about their birthday.

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tonfa
But it's not Google fault if they lied, right? (In case they are for example
exposed to 18+ content on Google+)

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jackolas
I don't understand why they're applying US-centric age restrictions world-
wide. There are other countries out there.

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corin_
The over 18 limit is nothing to do with US law, it's Google making a moral
decision (or more accurately, a PR decision that, if they are to have any
privacy issues occur, they want to be able ot say "at least no minors were
affected").

As to the 13 and over, it's very common for companies to make that a global
policy, partly because US isn't the only country to have that law (off the top
of my head I can't recall which others do), partly because it's a fairly
common sense decision from an adult's point of view, meaning that few would
argue against it, many would argue for it on grounds of morality rather than
law. And the only people who'll ever complain are a few years away from being
able to vote politically or with their wallet, by which time they will be
allowed to do whatever they want, and will have stopped caring. So it's pretty
win/win.

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JulianMorrison
Ugh. I certainly consider it immoral to lock children away from the ability to
talk to one another online.

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corin_
Technically they aren't being prevented from doing it, they just have to have
a guardian's permission. Much the same as a 7 year old could join a local
football/baseball/whatever team, but would need parental consent to do so.

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orenmazor
Facebook had all kinds of restrictions when it came out. my gf was not in
university at the time and was very jealous, apparently, of those of us in
facebook (on a highly related note, at that time facebook was just full of
nerds and bros)

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Skywing
How about opening Google+ up to Google Apps accounts, too? Google Apps
accounts cannot create Google Profile accounts, which are required for G+.

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ignifero
Actually, since google strives to make a difference here, they should cater to
kids as well. Teens love social networking and, if anything, google can use
its knowledge of the web to provide a safer, child and teen-safe environment
even more than facebook did. It's actually going to be impossible to keep
teens away if G+ ever becomes trendy.

