Virtual sex

In the increasingly popular, adults-only virtual world called "Second Life," a player can pretend to be a bear, an elf or just about anything else he or she imagines.

But even in the open-minded "Second Life" community, what people consider to be acceptable may have its limits. Some of the virtual world's biggest fans are shaking their heads over what users call "age play." This age-based role-playing can take on various forms: It can be as innocuous as people acting out a family dynamic, or as potentially troubling as two adults engaging in sexual role playing, with one of the avatars made to look like a child.

While "Second Life" maker Linden Lab acknowledges that age play virtual sex occurs in its virtual world, the extent to which it happens in its most discomfiting form is unclear. The game's forums frequently buzz with debates over the appropriateness of "age play," but no one interviewed by CNET News.com said they have actually "seen" what could bluntly be described as graphically playacting the behavior of a pedophile.

Even so, legal experts said such virtual behavior between adults isn't likely to break the law, since there are no real children involved.

"It would not be (illegal) under child pornography laws because no actual child was used in the act," said Jack Balkin, a professor of constitutional law at Yale Law School and an expert on legal issues surrounding virtual worlds. "Child pornography laws receive special treatment under the First Amendment because children are sexually abused and people traffic in the results of that abuse." This does not apply in the age-play situation, he said.

Illegal or not, virtual role-playing that could easily offend many players puts "Second Life" creators at Linden Lab in a tricky spot: Do they try to legislate morality when it's likely that no laws are actually being broken? Or do they let people do as they wish behind closed virtual doors?

"Second Life" requires all players to be adults--and acts to remove anyone it can virtual sex prove is underage. It has a separate grid for teenagers. And Linden Lab states categorically that it has zero tolerance for exploitation of actual children, such as uploaded images, in "Second Life" and will act quickly against anyone engaged in such behavior.

Virtual sex

When "we have evidence of child pornography or abuse that involves children in the real world...we will act to protect the child and notify the authorities," Robin Harper, Linden Lab vice president of community development wrote in a posting on the official "Second Life" forum (free subscription required). "The individuals involved, if it's proven the exploitation occurred, will be banned."

But when the issue of age play has surfaced, as it has on numerous occasions in the forums, Linden Lab has taken pains to address the more complex issues that the behavior raises.

"There are people in ('Second Life') who are role-playing (as) children engaged in sexual activities," Harper wrote in the forums. "While not a terms-of-service violation--no illegal activity--it could be argued that this behavior is broadly offensive and therefore violates the community standards. If this activity were in public areas it would be viewed as being broadly offensive, and therefore virtual sex unacceptable."

A teenage girl and her 'daddy'

In an interview with CNET News.com last week, Harper said that if a critical mass of "Second Life" participants were to ask that something additional be done about sexual age-play, Linden Lab would tackle the issue in some way. So far, there hasn't been a general outcry, she said.

But Harper also pointed out that what has made "Second Life" popular virtual sex among its 170,000 players--and it's growing at a rate of about 20 percent a month--is the freedom it affords people who want to try out new personas, particularly in private sections of the virtual world, she said.

"We've tried very, very hard not to broadly ban role-playing type behaviors," Harper said, "because when all is said and done, the ability to try new behaviors and try new things out is a big reason people are in virtual worlds."

Still, it's not clear how often people are engaging in age-play types of pretend behavior. But two "Second Life" players told CNET News.com about their experiences witnessing sexual or sexually charged age-play.

Virtual sex

Young Canadians prefer 'virtual sex': survey

Feb 14 3:41 PM US/Eastern

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Young Canadians are digitizing their sex lives, embracing computer screens and touching keyboards ever so gently in lieu of person to person contact, according to a new survey.

Some 87 percent of 2,484 students polled at 150 colleges and universities across virtual sex Canada reported having "virtual sex" over instant messenger, webcams or the telephone.

"We were very surprised that the number was so high," said Noah Gurza of Toronto-based online dating service CampusKiss.com, which commissioned the Kiss and Tell survey.

"It's a testament that the Internet has spawned a new sexual revolution."

Most of these students, aged 18 to 23 years, grew up using computers and virtual sex continue to be surrounded by technology, whether for education, interacting with friends, or researching information, Gurza said.

"Using the Internet is second nature to them, so it makes sense that it would extend to other aspects of their lives, including sexual experiences," he said.

For some who feel more comfortable approaching people online than at a bar "it's a social lubricant," while others prefer the anonymity "to explore sex in ways they wouldn't in real life," he added.

Fifty-one percent of respondents were female and 49 percent were male. Of these, 53 percent of students had sex over instant messenger while 44 percent made love to a partner via webcam or telephone.

The survey also asked people about their corporeal sex lives.

Some 87 percent claimed they were sober when having sex, but eight percent virtual sex of men and four percent of women did not use any protection against sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy, such as condoms.

Virtual sex

Only 19 percent of men and nine percent of women preferred the so-called missionary position. "Pet friendly" or doggy style was most liked by both men and women.

Ninety-three percent have masturbated.

Sixty-one percent watched porn while having sex.

Half were monogamous.

And public washroom topped the list of strangest place to have had sex -- some 15 percent of respondents admitted to having done the deed among toilets and sinks.

Graveyard, dumpster, bus, airport runway, and "back of my mom's car as she was driving it," rounded out the list of most peculiar sex spots.