Reality Check · Platform rules and your age
What rules should you set for yourself before you start?
Four, and they are the four printed on page 9 for you to sign: do not lie about your age, do not bypass platform rules, do not trade private details for attention, and do not handle risky money, contracts, meetings or travel alone. Everything else on this site assumes you kept them.
What the book says
Word for word from printed page 9. Nothing is cut, and this is the only part of the page written by the author.
Reality Check
My rule: I will not lie about my age, bypass platform rules, share private details for attention, or handle risky money, contracts, meetings, or travel alone.
Why this happens
Every one of those four gets easier to break later, when something is finally going well and stopping feels expensive. That is the moment the rule is for.
Deciding in advance is much cheaper than deciding under pressure, because under pressure the decision is being made by whoever is applying it.
What to do instead
Write the rule out before the first build, not after the first problem.
Keep it where you will actually see it — the front of the receipts folder is the obvious place.
Who to talk to
Your safe witness: a parent, teacher, coach or mentor who knows what you signed.
If none of those is available, an adult here also counts:
- A parent or guardian
- A teacher, or a school counselor
- A coach or club leader
- A librarian
- A youth worker
- A brother or sister over 18
Going around the gate is the failure, not the clever move. And if the adult you ask says no, that is information about timing — not about you. There is more on how that conversation tends to go on Race Control, for parents.
No secrecy around money, meetings, identity documents, or pressure. A legitimate opportunity can survive an adult review and a night of sleep.