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What if I'm over 25?
We get asked this question a lot and, until now, we haven't had any
written or official rules around it. For the most part, turning 26
won't mean any big changes in how you can use The Mix community, but
there are some finer details you'll need to keep in mind. This
post should help clarify those details and make sure our approach is consistent
for everyone reaching the end of their time as a Young Person™ 
Some of this might be stuff you already know, and some of it might be new information.
So, without further ado...
Yep! You're welcome to join, stick around, and chat.
And finally, we'll probably be less lenient if you break the Community Guidelines.
This is because in-depth conversations about the guidelines or your
behavior are quite time consuming for moderators, and we need to make
sure we're focusing that time on community members under 25. As an older
member, we also expect you to be a role model for positive
behaviour in the community.
Our support needs don't suddenly change on our 26th birthday, and
chances are a lot of conversations on the community are relevant to you
even though you're just over 25.
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind...
Some of
The Mix's services are funded strictly for Under 25's, such as Support
Circle. You won't be able to use those services. If you try to
without realising, don't worry - we'll let you know.
As a
general rule, we also prioritise under 25's for most things. For
example, if we have a busy PM or email inbox, we're likely to prioritise
under 25's and may take longer to get back to you.
If you
break the guidelines, we'll probably just let you know what the issue
was and leave it there. If you break the guidelines frequently, you may be banned indefinitely.
I'm under 25 now, but what happens when I turn 26?
Moving on from a support service can be a good thing
Not
much will change immediately. Our support needs don't suddenly change
on our 26th birthday and you're still a valued community member.
And finally, we'll probably be less lenient if you break the Community Guidelines.
This is because in-depth conversations about the guidelines or
problematic behavior are quite time consuming for moderators, and we
need to make
sure we're focusing that time on community members under 25. As an older
member, we also expect you to be a role model for positive
behaviour in the community.
If you
break the guidelines, we'll probably just let you know what the issue
was and leave it there. If you break the guidelines frequently, you may be banned indefinitely.
Over time, we might have a conversation with you about transitioning to another service to get support. You're welcome to stick around here and support others for as long as you like, though - we've got plenty of active members who turned 25 long ago, but still stick around to help out and chat more generally.
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind...
Some of
The Mix's services are funded strictly for Under 25's, such as Support
Circle. You won't be able to use those services. If you try to
without realising, don't worry - we'll let you know.
As a
general rule, we also prioritise under 25's for most things. For
example, if we have a busy PM or email inbox, we're likely to prioritise
under 25's and may take longer to get back to you.
Over time, we might have a conversation with you about transitioning to another service to get support. You're welcome to stick around here and support others for as long as you like, though - we've got plenty of active members who turned 25 long ago, but still stick around to help out and chat more generally.
It
can be difficult to stop using a service for support, and understandably so. In
communities, we build relationships, experiences, memories, and life
lessons that are important to us.
But transitioning to a new support service at the right time is a healthy thing to do.
There are practical considerations first and foremost. Support services tend to be specialised in one way or another and, for The Mix, that's young people. So the information you'll find with The Mix's services will usually be specific to young people. A lot of services we might tell you about (e.g. Childline) aren't usable for adults, but if you join a community for older people, they'll know all about support for adults.
Ask yourself... can the service I'm currently using support me in the ways I need it to? Would I benefit from a service more setup for my age, or specialised in something I'm struggling with?
Using a new support service can also be a time for change; a chance for us to connect with new people, think in new ways, and try new things. Those moments can be essential for our support journey, and sometimes even help us break unhelpful cycles or thought processes we might be stuck in.
And you know what? Let's celebrate that change.
If you're at a point where you're thinking about moving on from getting support at The Mix, that means you've spent time building a community with us, supporting others, and - most importantly - growing as a person. That's something to be proud of, and for us to celebrate with you.
Besides, no one ever really leaves The Mix. You're an elder now, and no doubt there are community members under 25 who could learn from you and what you've learned.
But transitioning to a new support service at the right time is a healthy thing to do.
There are practical considerations first and foremost. Support services tend to be specialised in one way or another and, for The Mix, that's young people. So the information you'll find with The Mix's services will usually be specific to young people. A lot of services we might tell you about (e.g. Childline) aren't usable for adults, but if you join a community for older people, they'll know all about support for adults.
Ask yourself... can the service I'm currently using support me in the ways I need it to? Would I benefit from a service more setup for my age, or specialised in something I'm struggling with?
Using a new support service can also be a time for change; a chance for us to connect with new people, think in new ways, and try new things. Those moments can be essential for our support journey, and sometimes even help us break unhelpful cycles or thought processes we might be stuck in.
And you know what? Let's celebrate that change.
If you're at a point where you're thinking about moving on from getting support at The Mix, that means you've spent time building a community with us, supporting others, and - most importantly - growing as a person. That's something to be proud of, and for us to celebrate with you.
Besides, no one ever really leaves The Mix. You're an elder now, and no doubt there are community members under 25 who could learn from you and what you've learned.
What if I'm much older? (e.g. 30+)
The
community's life experience and knowledge of support is generally
specialised to under 25's. That means it's going to be tricky to have
conversations
about situations specific to your age group, and we're not going to have
very much practical information on hand to support you.
As a safeguard for our younger members, you also won't be able to send PMs.
For these reasons, we would suggest using a service specifically designed for adults. A good starting point is Side by Side, a mental health support community run by Mind for over 18's.
----
Feel free to comment below with any questions or suggestions.New here?
Head to Start Here, where you'll find some useful information about us and our main rules and guidelines.
Post edited by JustV on
8
Comments
If people over 30 can't send PM's, and someone who has been around for years turns 30, will they not be able to send PM's anymore? Or will that be relaxed because they've been around for a long time?
I think that you might be able to get away with joining the support circle on your 26th birthday at the discretion of mods but usually you would have to stop using it before you turn 26. Yes it can be hard to move on if you have been using support circle for a long time but our support needs can change a lot over time. This is just what I think.
I also think that the rule about over 30's not being able to PM will only count for new users but again that is just what I think and the rule could be a blanket rule for all over 30's.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
This is something we're pretty firm on. Partly it's to make sure people under 25 are prioritised for Support Circle, and also because of the funding point mentioned before.
The theory is this post should give people a heads up about that transition, so they have as long as they need to prepare for that next stage. The staff team can also help facilitate that transition, if that person would find it useful. For example, we can help find similar spaces elsewhere or work out a gradual 'cutting down' so that person uses that space less over time rather than the change being sudden.
We're a little more flexible on this one. This is primarily for people who join when they're way out of our age range. If you've been here a long time, we trust you and we trust that you understand how to use PMs appropriately. We might disable them if we're concerned, though.
Does that help? @Dancer was more or less right with their answer!
So what’s like the oldest you have to stop asking for support. 29? If the user is an old time user does that make any difference lol. Cause coming here when you’re a lot older than everyone else- slightly weird compared to if came here ages ago. “ we've got plenty of active members who turned 25 long ago, but still stick around to help out and chat more generally”. How old are they? When you turn 30 are we like just not allowed to use? I don’t mean for support. I mean can we support others as long as we don’t PM anyone?and like share our good moments like say if got a new job. Like cause as sad as I sound but this place is one of the first places I go to if I’m doing well or something. And like have you ever had someone you share good news with and then when they leave you’re just like well this is all pointless if I have no one to share this with lol. What I quote I think answers this question but want to check.
Generally speaking, if you're approaching 30 and actively looking for support on the community, that's when we might drop you a PM to talk about moving on. For anyone currently 25, it might be worth thinking about broadening your support network and gradually reducing your time spent here.
It's not going to be a black and white thing because there are a lot of factors we might need to consider. For now, we'll be taking it on a case-by-case basis (deciding for each individual).
Agreed that it's different if someone has been here a long time.
It varies quite a bit. We have some folks whose accounts are 10-20 years old, though they stopped using the community regularly and asking for support quite some time ago.
There will always be a way you can stick around on the community. You'd certainly be welcome to share good news, as well as support others and post in non-support threads.
Though I’m kinda hoping by the time I’m like 25 I will have a better life where I have more close people where I will not use this as regular as I’m mostly here cause lonely
You say circle is for folk under 25, so does this mean they are to stop using circle on their 25th birthday? Because if they kept using to their 26th birthday that would then make it u26s?
Doesn’t really apply to me, I was just confused when reading through the post & comments
Would over 25s be allowed to join as a listener and support folk?
The wording on usually says "essential support for under 25s" which to me, reads as anyone up to the age of 24, but the website is available up to 25. I may be wrong but wouldn't it be essential support for 25s and under? Because we're including those aged 25 in that number? - Likewise with U16s chat
It just got me thinking about the wording
And glad I’m not the only one confused @Eleanor , thought my brain was still just half asleep
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
For example, if your 26th birthday is on a Wednesday you can still join Support Circle on the Tuesday because you will still be 25 or under.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
Like, I’m 14 so I’m not under 14 years of age but I am under 15 years of age.
It can be confusing. I know that for Childline it is for under 19's and you can get support until your 19th birthday. But I think that for The Mix it would be for those who are 25 and under. In the first post @Mike said "Our support needs don't suddenly change on our 26th birthday, and chances are a lot of conversations on the community are relevant to you even though you're just over 25." I think that means that you will be classed as under 25 until the day before you turn 26 as the day after that would be your 26th birthday.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
Mike : “ Some of The Mix's services are funded strictly for Under 25's, such as Support Circle. You won't be able to use those services. If you try to without realising, don't worry - we'll let you know.”
Mike : “ This is something we're pretty firm on. Partly it's to make sure people under 25 are prioritised for Support Circle, and also because of the funding point mentioned before.”
What you said about childline makes complete sense to me. If they are funded for u19s, it makes sense to stop using it on your 19th birthday. So if circle is funded for u25s, it makes sense to stop using it on your 25th birthday, no?
Just confused about wording, I think.
I don't really know for certain but it isn't something that either of us have to worry about yet.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
My point was more on the wording of it @Dancer like you said, on Childline u19 means before your 19 which makes sense to me but here it includes said number, which is a little confusing.
"The theory is this post should give people a heads up about that transition, so they have as long as they need to prepare for that next stage. The staff team can also help facilitate that transition, if that person would find it useful. For example, we can help find similar spaces elsewhere or work out a gradual 'cutting down' so that person uses that space less over time rather than the change being sudden.
really applies to you. It can be hard to lose your support but I think like Mike says, generally cutting down should help that transition a lot when you reach the age of no longer being able to use circle.I suppose it isnt the case of stripping you of that support either because there are communities for folk who age out of the mix (side by side for example)
But again, it's still down to wording which is just a wee bit unclear, or maybe I'm being pedantic
Many people do find Support Circle to be helpful but unfortunately all of us have to try and move on someday. You will probably be able to carry on using Support Circle until the session before you turn 26.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
I Know this. I was just making a point that it's never been flagged that I use support circle.
Glad to hear that you have support from other communities as well as using The Mix so it feels like scary and isolating when you do move on. I actually joined The Mix because I wanted to have support for when I turn 19 and age out of being able to use Childline.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
It’s good that circle is useful for you and I’m glad you’re a part of other communities. That should help
Edit:
My question was just about the wording, it’s not clear. That’s all🙂
I understand that so guessing that the rule for under 25's is that as long as you are 25 or under it is okay.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous
@GreenTea It's great that you have other places where you can still receive support after your birthday! Obviously I don't know the protocol for when someone ages out of circle but it might just be someone will be in touch a little closer to your bday
I'm not looking for help or support to transition. I simply came by to state that you can use support circle at age 25 because I have been and nothing has been said
Sorry.
"The way that I have found the light in my life is through the expressive arts because I know that I will be accepted for the way I am." ~ Me
"I'm going to get strong again and see you soon. " ~ Anonymous