Hello Scratch Team and all Scratchers who will join,

I'm reaching out today with a proposal that I believe will greatly enhance the experience for all users on Scratch. As we continue to grow and evolve as a platform, it's essential that we ensure the safety and appropriateness of the content available to our diverse community.

I propose the implementation of a new age rating system that better reflects the varied ages and sensitivities of our users. This system would include the following ratings: 3+, 5+, 7+, 9+, 11+, and 13+. These ratings aim to provide clearer guidance for both creators and viewers, ensuring that everyone can enjoy Scratch content suitable for their age group.

Additionally, I suggest the inclusion of content descriptors to provide further context about the nature of the content. These descriptors would cover areas such as violence, language, fear/horror, suggestive content/themes, dangerous behaviors/stunts, and negative examples. By offering this additional information, users can make more informed decisions about the content they engage with.

But there is what the ratings and the content descriptors on what looks like in my project called "SCARSSP“.

To implement this system, I propose the creation of a dedicated forum titled ”Scratch Content Age Rating System" This forum would serve as a platform for discussion, collaboration, and rating of projects based on the proposed guidelines via this studio called Scratch Content Age Rating System". Scratchers would be encouraged to submit their projects to my studio for review, allowing for a community-driven approach to content moderation.

I understand the importance of ensuring that this process is fair and transparent for all users. Therefore, the Scratch Team, I, and yourselves, the Scratchers are committed to reviewing each submitted project to determine its appropriateness for the specified age group. Projects that do not meet the guidelines will be flagged as inappropriate, and the creator will be provided with guidance on how to modify or remove the content.

I believe that by implementing this new age rating system and fostering a collaborative community forum, we can create a safer and more enjoyable environment for all Scratchers. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and working together to make this vision a reality.

Thank you for considering this proposal.

Warm Regards,
The Creator

and Scratch On!

If you're asking for age-restrictions on content, that is rejected (scroll down to 7.2 on this list: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/343602/ )
Though, I'm not 100% sure if you're asking for age restrictions or just age ratings.

but I am 100% sure that I am only making a unified age rating system for scratch projects.

This defeats the purpose of scratch. Scratch is made for everyone. The age rating is a rejected suggestion.

Inigo_Hey wrote:

but I am 100% sure that I am only making a unified age rating system for scratch projects.

Regardless of that, it's still rejected in TOLoRS.

This suggestion extends to age-restricting anything on Scratch, such as viewing specific projects or accessing specific Scratch features. As a general rule, Scratch is for all ages, and content shared on the Scratch website should be appropriate for all ages.

And both ways, this creates ambiguity if you were to implement it. What would classify as reportable and not anymore? To be specific:

Terms of Use wrote:

4.5 Although the Scratch Team requires all users to comply with these Terms of Use, some inappropriate user-generated content may be submitted and displayed on the Scratch website. You understand that when you use Scratch you may be exposed to user-generated content that you find objectionable or offensive. If you see any content that violates the Community Guidelines or Terms of Use, (…)

Of course, inappropriate can classify to other content that isn't suited for All Ages; however it would still create quite the ambiguity and cause a gap between what we can identify as appropriate and inappropriate, and there is exactly a metaphor for this.

Remember how Scratch welcomes all ages? Yeah, there's an extra metaphor I haven't said:
“Curiousity killed the cat.”
Even with agerating and restriction, it'd still be possible for kids and lower to find inappropriate content way easier than right now. Therefore, they may be exposed to it and start to find it normal, in which, it may pose trouble. despite the ST having no obligation to still review reports and everything, 4.5 somewhat deals with the issue of inappropriate content, however this would require a heavy rewrite of most things within both the Terms of Use and community guidelines.

The ToU would require a schedule and draft, and then a release of a completed variation, which would, possibly, take longer than the suggestion itself to do. But that isn't the main issue.

No matter the workaround presentable, it's still creating a gigantic gap of the unknown; do I report someone saying mild swear words every 3 nanoseconds? Do I report the manmade horror beyond human comprehension of even Peter Griffin that I just witnessed? Is that found objectionable, or is it fine because of an age rating?

That is the ambiguity. Along with that, while we talk about the ambiguity this'd create in moderation:

Inigo_Hey wrote:

(#1)
To implement this system, I propose the creation of a dedicated forum titled ”Scratch Content Age Rating System" This forum would serve as a platform for discussion, collaboration, and rating of projects based on the proposed guidelines via this studio called Scratch Content Age Rating System". Scratchers would be encouraged to submit their projects to my studio for review, allowing for a community-driven approach to content moderation.

Community-driven content moderation is also a rejection.

7.4 Allow Scratchers to moderate the website
A community moderator program used to exist where Scratchers could moderate the website, but it was removed due to some very inappropriate things showing up in the report queue, among other reasons. A volunteer program could also encourage trolls to use moderator tools to cause problems on the website. As a result, the Scratch Team has decided to only allow adults to moderate the website, including the forums, and those adults would need to join the Scratch Team as a paid position in order to moderate the website.

If you are 18 or older, legally allowed to work in the United States, and are interested in moderating the website, check out the Jobs link to see if there are any openings for the “Community Moderator” position.

Additionally, this'd cause a vast outbreak of trolls flooding into the community and intentionally reviewing things incorrectly, or people unaware how they should properly rate it.

If you want to make content beyond the all ages rating, you can thank Terms of Use 4.3;

4.3 (…) If you do not want to license your content under this license, then do not share it on Scratch.

Due to the CCBYSA License not abiding if unshared, you can post it on other sites that don't need the content to be appropriate to a certain age, delete the one from Scratch, or presumably work on it within the offline editor.

this is not a website for esrb rating
THIS IS CODING
*insert some metal music*