The Honeycomb Hideout and "Age-appropriate" content

In this day in age, the idea of "age-appropriate" content seems to be enveloping more and more mediums. I mean, let's be honest, there's nobody here that didn't read or watch something that they're parents explicitly told them wasn't "fit" for their eyes at that point in time. Does this mean that because someone doesn't produce content fit for children that they don't care about them? I'd say 'nay' to that assertion.

I was actually sitting here working on editing the latest episode of the Workshop's podcast "The Honeycomb Hideout" (stay tuned, new episodes coming soon), of which I'm the host and that's what got me thinking about it. Now, for our new audience members, "The Honeycomb Hideout" is where you get the inside scoop on lots of counter culture content and our opinions on the happening in our corner of the universe. We don't set out to change minds, just get them to think. Most of our fans would tell you that we can get pretty raucous on the Hideout so we always state that our show is strictly for listeners "18 and over ". Now, on that tangent, I got to thinking and realized that I personally don't really work with content that isn't for audiences "18 and over".

Now, don't misunderstand, it's not an active choice or decision. Simply, most of the stories I want to tell are intended for adult audiences. That's not to say that it may not change later. Hell, I may even write a children's book somewhere down the line, but right now, that's not where my inspiration is leading me. But just because I don't produce content for children, that doesn't mean that I don't care whether children read/listen to my work or what they are exposed to, in general. Most people don't know that I used to work in a comic book store and I always made sure that the patron was the correct age for the material they were buying or that if the parent that was buying for the minor knew what they were buying. Yeah, I was that guy.

When I started writing this entry, I think I planned on going a different direction with it, but hey, sometimes you learn as you go. There are some messages or stories that children aren't ready to hear, and on the inverse, maybe there are some types of stories that you're not ready to tell. In so many ways, it just depends on what you have to say and knowing who are the best equipped to hear it. So don't just spout that "you don't do 'kids' stuff'" because you never know when your message is going to change or if the world changes enough that kids are ready to hear your message. Things are constantly changing... YOU are constantly changing, so nothing's set in stone. Even the most stubborn of us are susceptible to it. So stay in tune with the audience as a whole, not just your part of the audience. You never know if who may be a good fit for what you have to say.

Now... time to get back to working on my "18 and over" content.  LOL

-Joe