Safewords and red lines II: ageplay and child protection

Ageplay is one of the most divisive sexual practices that falls under the umbrella of consensual kink. But despite its controversy, it is also exploding in popularity among adults of all ages.

Some worry that ageplay and its associated relationship dynamics such as DD/lg (Daddy Dom/little girl) can be misused to groom minors for sexual abuse. Four days after an influential child protection consultant called on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to ban representations of DD/lg from the Internet, calling it “the new currency of predatory paedophiles,” Facebook caved to this demand and banned the #DDLG hashtag. A month later, Reddit banned its AgePlayPenPals forum.

But on the other side of the coin, emerging research demonstrates that many participants in ageplay and its associated relationship dynamics are survivors of child sexual abuse—and these survivors are among the staunchest defenders of the practice for what they claim are its therapeutic benefits. Some sexologists also posit that rather than acting as a gateway to sexual abuse, ageplay may be a safe space for the exploration of taboo sexual feelings for which there would otherwise be no safe and legal outlet.

This workshop will outline the emerging common understanding of kink practitioners and sexologists about the roles that ageplay fills in the sex lives of consenting adults. It will also present some suggestions for best practices to keep real minors from being drawn into this practice, including safeguarding tips for venues and events, and effective ways to communicate with minors who attempt to join adult spaces.

This event is a follow-up to our successful Safewords and red lines webinar held in July, in which we asked, is kink really incompatible with child protection? We will recap the key lessons from that webinar, in which we demonstrated how sex-positive communities such as kinksters, consensual non-monogamists, and sex workers are well placed to be allies in the fight against child sexual abuse and exploitation.

We will also provide an update on our work to collaboratively develop a set of guidelines for how kinky and non-monogamous people can show their responsibility and leadership when it comes to protecting children from sexual harm, while standing up for their own sexual freedoms as consenting adults.