Illegal for the Underaged to Listen to a Pipe Smoking Discussion?

[slrichman]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

Does anyone know of a state or national law that forbids the underaged from listening to, say, a podcast about pipe smoking? I've heard word to that effect, but I have hard time believing it. (How would it be enforced and wouldn't a warning actually be an enticement?) Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.

 

[Casual]

Watch out that crusading lawyers don’t redefine “advertisement” to include a podcast.

 

[jttnk]

If you found a kid willing to listen to a podcast about piping....they should be watched carefully.

Don’t get me wrong, I like all things pipe related and find the stories and personalities in piping fascinating and intriguing; but to someone under 18 or 21 of this modern world, I doubt you could force them to listen at gun point.

I know I just crossed some line...”these kids today...” and I’m not even 50 for another 7 months.

 

[Chasing Embers]

but to someone under 18 or 21 of this modern world, I doubt you could force them to listen at gun point.

I'm 46 and can't listen to someone talking about smoking for more than five minutes. I've tried to listen to the podcasts but they can't hold my interest.

 

[rushx9]

Sounds like some straight up Orwellian "Thought Police" business to me...

 

[BROBS]

a kid can watch or listen to anything their parents let them.

 

[mso489]

My grandfather smoked a pipe; my father smoked a pipe from about age 15; I smoke a pipe (granted with some years off). As a minor, I wouldn't have had patience with listening to an audio track (no podcasts then) about it, even if I were pipe smoking at the time. This would be like a law forbidding three-year-olds doing calculus. It could happen; it probably does in rare cases with prodigies. But a law against it. Yawn, snore.

 

[Bengel]

YouTube is that way, I won’t sign just up to listen. Do not know about podcasts, the PM radio show is all I listen too and that from the embedded link.

 

[morgansteele]

Does anyone know of a state or national law that forbids the underaged from listening to, say, a podcast about pipe smoking?

Nope, kids are citizens and protected by the 1st Amendment, too. Whether their parents allow it is another issue.

 

[mikethompson]

How on earth would that be enforced?

 

[verporchting]

There are no laws regarding what can be heard in the US. The laws pertaining to free speech have certain restrictions on hate speech, commercial speech, obscenity, etc., but the prohibition is on the speech - e.g. the speaker and not on the listener. As suggested it would be impossible to prohibit people from hearing something that is said. Granted, there’s a difference between listening and hearing, and certainly upon seeking out the speech with an intent to hear it, but honestly if somebody rings a bell within your hearing range you will hear it. You needn’t be listening or have sought it out, so it would be impossible for you to be punished for something out of your control.

What is possible is to regulate certain venues by age restrictions, under the guise of not regulating content, and you see this in adult sites, etc.

Anyway, just my two cents worth.

 

[olkofri]

a kid can watch or listen to anything their parents let them.

And to plenty of crap they won't allow.

 

[ssjones]

Brian starts most podcasts by saying that, but I suspect it's not an actual law.
Unfortunately we have many laws where little was thought about who/how it was to be enforced. In Maryland, you can't smoke in most public buildings, but it is a law for employee welfare, so the Police won't enforce it. The sheeple, er, people just obey it. I'm sure there were exceptions early on when it was passsed. We have a restaurant five miles from the PA and WV borders, on I-81. In the first few years, when neither PA or WV had similar laws, travelers were always smoking and had no clue about the new state law.

 

[Mr.Mike]

If you found a kid willing to listen to a podcast about piping....they should be watched carefully.

Don’t get me wrong, I like all things pipe related and find the stories and personalities in piping fascinating and intriguing; but to someone under 18 or 21 of this modern world, I doubt you could force them to listen at gun point.

I know I just crossed some line...”these kids today...” and I’m not even 50 for another 7 months.

I'm 31 and I say that. I don't like 80 percent of people my age. With that being said the boomers piss me off too lol. I guess I don't like anybody haha.

 

[olkofri]

I like old timers.

 

[Bengel]

Brian starts most podcasts by saying that

I thought of that. Maybe it is Brian’s personality, but it always seemed it was said tongue in cheek.

 

[Bowie]

I've heard these warnings on podcasts, and best guess is that there is a remote risk that someone could construe the podcast as "marketing," especially for someone like Country Squire. Marketing tobacco to underage people is generally illegal. The warning could serve as the equivalent of a "click here if you are 21 or over" on a website.