Monday, August 12, webcomic Posted an announcement and FAQ about an upcoming feature on the platform. This feature is a content age rating system for its self-publishing platform called canvas. Originally released for Originals in the fall of 2023, it is a system designed to provide a safe reading experience for all users. Web comic canvas Starting August 20, creators will be able to begin assigning content age ratings to their episodes.
Before uploading a new episode or creating a show on the platform, creators on the platform will be prompted to fill out a questionnaire about their show canvas. The questionnaire will contain 5 questions, scored on a scale of 0 to 3, covering content such as violent and graphic content, nudity, sexual content, profanity, alcohol, drug and/or tobacco use, sensitive topics and themes. Depending on the answer, the series will receive one of four ratings:
All ages: Suitable for readers of all ages. The series may contain mild depictions of cartoonish blood.
teenager: Suitable for readers 13 years of age or older. The series may contain mild fantasy violence, blood, or gore. May contain secondary topics related to mental health topics but are not graphically depicted. Series may contain uncensored mild profanity.
young adult: Suitable for readers 16 years of age or older. Series may contain moderate violence, profanity, sexual themes, mild nudity, alcohol or drug use. May contain themes of self-harm, bullying and abuse.
Mature: Suitable for readers over 18 years of age. Series contains graphic images, violence, profanity, nudity or sexual themes.
If the creator does not fill out the questionnaire, the episode will be marked as “Not yet rated” and will only be visible to users 18 years or older.
but why?
The goal of the content age rating system is to simply enhance existing content guidelines regarding community policies and upload guidelines. It is also designed to allow users webcomic Sort many series canvas Based on ratings appropriate to their age group and content preferences. A Good Comparison Just like TV shows and movies have their own age rating system so you can know if the show or movie is suitable for you based on its content.
Another factor worth noting is how the series will be accessed on the platform once a rating is assigned. Users under the age of 18 will not be able to access the adult series and will need to verify the user’s age to access the series. Series rated “All Ages,” “Teen,” or “Young Adult” are visible to all readers and do not require age verification.
The same goes for Originals and Originals canvas The series will have the same features, just like how Super Likes was launched canvas and original. remember webcomic Starting in the fall of 2023, original productions will have a content age rating system.
Another reason for introducing a content age rating system is undoubtedly to comply with the content guidelines and policies set by the iOS/Apple App Store and Google Play Store for apps containing adult content. As app stores begin to take action to follow their own policies, they do take a 30% fee from every transaction that occurs with apps on their storefront. This is also related to the online policies set by the card payment provider, e.g. MasterCard, visaand Discoverand MasterCard Its services are only approved for use on platforms with strict content controls so unauthorized underage users do not interact with adult content.
Another factor to consider is webcomicsGeneration Z and younger Millennials make up 75% of the global user base, with more than 70% of U.S. users under the age of 24. X/Twitter and Reddit 90% of the users are over 18 years old.
Concerns from all walks of life
On the day the news was released, many creators canvas I took the time to read the notice and FAQ and was concerned that the age restriction would impact their readership, and many people on social media were concerned about the wording of the last topic in the FAQ regarding NSFW on immature sites Series additional promotions such as patreon For example.
Here are some quotes from community creators about upcoming features:
“Personally, I don’t care, mostly because my series is already pretty established. But I’m confused as to what makes something mature? Does it only need a 3 to make it mature?“—— @PiruuMi
“Webtoon’s new age rating system will force my series into the mature category, removing it from the rankings and making it unavailable to anyone under 18. I declare that I have R18 content on my Patreon. For the upcoming system, this statement alone should suffice.“—— @inmapollito
“It’s absolutely ridiculous that content should be policed more than underage consumers or predatory creators. It’s best to take sides when it comes to online comics. They clearly want an older audience but only know how to cater to a younger audience. They need a catalyst for change. – @Ratatic_post
“So if webcomic Changing my comics to mature bc I mentioned my Patreon (which has nsfw content) & I appealed but was denied and I was locked in the mature category (cannot be seen by anyone under 18) for a full month. This would completely destroy my income (and many others). – @ Madam Card_Art
There is another interesting X/Twitter thread through @Catfish_pond About the obstacles they had to overcome to continue their series canvas and how independent creators will be scrutinized and held to higher standards related to the upcoming ratings system.
One thought I had was if I just put NSFW content in patreon Link to the series or promote unedited/unchanged episodes patreon Counts as NSFW extra promotion and may result in the series being labeled as mature. After contact webcomic This is what they said:
“WEBTOON does not restrict creators from promoting external content, and a creator’s external content does not affect the ratings of episodes on our platform. Our policies specifically address the language and imagery used in series or promotions on WEBTOON. Any content found on WEBTOON Promotional language or images must comply with our content and upload guidelines.WEBTOON will update the language in our policies to clearly reflect these guidelines. Additionally, creator posts in the comments section will be subject to the same policy.
A good way to explain this is something like a “don’t talk porn” policy canvasso creators who rely on external platforms for additional revenue can keep their mature content there without impacting the series’ ratings webcomic. However, any direct reference to NSFW content or images implies or censors that content webcomic itself or a review would make the series mature webcomics Hosted with or without prior notice.
Creators can talk about unedited episodes or extras on other sites, which only specifically discuss NSFW content through language or images, which will impact the series as moderators are simply enhancing the content and uploading it through rating changes guide.
my thoughts
This part is my opinion and thoughts as a creator on this matter and news canvas.
Having been on the platform for over 4 years now, I’m also trying to keep my series within the teen demographic, so worried that if my series was rated mature, it would be age restricted and impact discoverability and readership I, like other creators on the platform, feel that the themes they want to tackle and the stories they want to tell are not meant for all audiences.
Unfortunately, this affects site preferences patreon Marketing is available to me and other creators trying to make ends meet. Creators who don’t want to be affected will have to sift through previous episodes to hide any references to or promotion of NSFW content, but I do get it webcomics It’s from, but it’s not webcomics Choose a side.
With many webcomics and webtoon platforms now available on mobile app stores, it means that a standard now has to be maintained, mainly due to the content guidelines of these storefronts and the banks/card providers who are cracking down on their funds and services are being used on the Internet. This has a knock-on effect, affecting any website or platform that connects to the mobile app and provides payment services on the website.
Some of the creators I cited are legitimately unhappy with WEBTOON and worried about their livelihoods, but the blame doesn’t entirely lie with the platform. Since the main demographic is Gen Z and young Millennials (most of whom are minors), this is a way to prevent potential legal trouble and strict crackdowns from Apple and Google, while also ensuring the safety of the younger demographic. This is just a result of the changing web, which is slowly leading to the sterilization of mature content. i was there Douban Many artists left the site around 2017-18 when the NSFW crackdown also happened there. Some people have their accounts taken down, while others have to take down some art, even if it’s tame or only shows a little bit of skin.
This isn’t something that exists in a bubble, for the same reasons that are the case on other websites and apps right now. I’m just worried about the outside webcomicsthere will be more platforms to combat this type of content, and over time, there will be very few options available for artists who do want to create and explore mature content through art or story. Private sites like Patreon currently appear to be safer for the content mentioned above, but for how long? The same applies to other websites and platforms. It’s not a question of if, but when.
I just wonder how creators will be affected and if they will leave CANVAS to try and find alternatives that better suit their stories and content, if any. Or they will adapt and try to make the best of the situation in this ever-changing internet.
in conclusion
WEBTOON’s content age rating system looks like it will be a useful way to browse new stories based on age groups and give users an idea of the type of content in a particular series on CANVAS. It strives to preserve the functionality that Originals already has, and make Originals and Canvas feel more like two sides of the same coin. The only downside is that it may impact creators whose stories lean more toward maturity, while others will have until August 20 to make the changes to prevent their series from working more safely and not accidentally gaining maturity. Ratings, thereby impacting discoverability and readership.
So what do you think about the upcoming content age rating feature? webcomics canvas? you are a canvas Creator? What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments
If you want more WEBTOON news, you can follow the company’s main account on X/Twitter as well as the CANVAS account, which will contain news about events, series and features.
Feel free to check out The Beat’s previous article on WEBTOON’s stock price drop. Or more WEBTOON related news on WEBTOON archives.
Until next time my lovely uncle nerd <3
