I think so. Not all youth obviously but I would say many would look at the seemingly drab forum and go ‘meh’.
Also there’s so many sites out there that cater to the youth in general. The SD is lucky it has an established user base from when the number of good online forums were slim. There’s so many out there now that I would wager many a strictly-moderated board has failed to achieve the critical user mass which is needed to generate enough new content to attract new users.
because texting, FB, and twitter are where they are.
which is why I’m not there.
I seriously think the overall clean text format without a lot of graphic elements (including avatars) reduces the number of younger posters.
Yeah. Why the surprise?
The look of a message board is important. When I go to a place that has a bazillion different animated .gifs or everyone’s got their own manga avatar, I leave immediately. Sensory overload. Kids love that kind of stuff, though, because they are all about establishing their identity through visuals rather than the content of their messages. And they are more likely to have computers that can digest all that TMI.
What are the other forums you post on? Some will naturally skew younger (e.g. Justin Bieber fan page) and some will skew older (e.g. model railroading, ham radio).
I love that people apparently think that this board trends older because “the youth” require blinky smileys and glitter signatures in order to post somewhere. Right.
How about “Everyone is on Facebook now.” My brother is 19, and from what I can tell of his peer group, the only message boards they participate on are very specific ones targeted at games they play or whatever. The attraction of a general-interest message board where people congregate to chat about a variety of different topics has largely been superseded by the advent of social media.
Yes, some people still prefer this format, and we are still picking up some people who are younger, but it’s not like message boards or Usenet are the only places online where you can hang out and just chat with people anymore.
Another factor, IMO, is that we are simply picking up fewer new people, period. In the early days of the SDMB, the Straight Dope column that ran in alternative newspapers was a big draw. People read and liked the column and followed the links to the SDMB from there. Now newspapers are dying. The alternative newspaper in Columbus just shuttered its doors. The new people we get these days seem to primarily be coming in from Google searches, and are probably much less likely to hang around; they didn’t come here because they particularly liked the SD, but because they randomly ended up here after searching on some obscure topic. So those of us who have been around for a while just keep getting older, and there’s not a lot of fresh blood to fill out the other end of the bell curve.
“The youth don’t like it here because they need blinking avatars.” Man. I’m going to be laughing about that one for days.
Perhaps a useful rejoinder to the OP’s concerns would include posts made here by those in the “youth” demographic.
Some were so “youthful” they were banned before that got going good. Others have matured as time passed. Still others are just getting started in what may become “predominant” influences.
^ this.
Because those same youth you are referencing, have ruined most chat rooms and forums that aren’t moderated, even for youth!
We value being able to communicate clearly. The reason would seem self evident, but aren’t for some. So when youngsters do wander in, some lack the communication/ language skills to get what they want to say across clearly, and leave in frustration, or when it’s pointed out they are unlikely to be taken terribly seriously with out basic a gauge skills.
And proofreading. 
Which is all well and good, except when you don’t know the goddamned difference between a verb and an adjective.
Why don’t youth predominate? Seriously? I don’t know. Why don’t the rest of us scarce?
I like how “the youth” are a monolithic, near-illiterate bunch. “Why don’t young’uns come here?” “Cuz they’re too dumb to hang out with this awesome bunch!” Ok.:rolleyes:
I think it’s a combination of factors, some of which have already been enumerated.
As for when this message board started re the Straight Dope newspaper column – I want to say those who have been around here the longest were probably part of that Usenet group. I found this place through the column 
It’s been decades since my local weekly alternative has carried it, so I would imagine that, if you didn’t already know who Cecil is, you’d be scratching your head wondering why this board exists. There was a very tight group of people here when I first started posting. Most of them are no longer around.
That said, if you remember the Dope on Usenet, you’re definitely older than the average gif-lovin’ avatar-swappin’ bright-flashing-color forum member. If you’ve been here since the dissolution of Usenet and when The Dope was on AOL, you’re also definitely older. If you were here when the Dope went from AOL to where it is now…well, you get the picture.
The Dope has been around for a long time. I’d reckon it’s probably one of the oldest online forums around. We may have had our dips and surges in membership, but we’re still here!
yes. “message boards” have officially become “our lawn,” only this time those damn kids are staying off of it
Sorry, auto correct got me, of course I meant ‘language’. My bad. I’m very new to devices with this feature, and still learning, forgive me, I beg.(Ipad Mini!)
( However I absolutely adore that I no longer have to capitalize I. Awesome!)
It seems that when someone posts a Myers-Briggs poll, there’s a plurality of INTJ, a majority of INT and a supermajority of NT types. That likely scares away most of the emoters. With a critical mass, it becomes self-sustaining.
Perhaps young NT types tend to go elsewhere?
Do a lot of other forums have the equivalent of the Pit? That got a few of the more emotional posters to quiet/reduce their presence.
I thought it was because we discussed our hemorrhoids and insisted on links to pictures. You know the rules. Or was cats?
verb - predominate
adjective - predominant
Now make oneself scarce.
There are several forums I read somewhat regularly that are just about as civil and grownup-oriented as the Dope. HomeBrew Talk, Egullet, Tanknet, Badger and Blade are probably the big 3, but there are others as well.
However, they’re pretty much oriented around fairly grownup pursuits (homebrewing, serious culinary stuff, military history/military stuff, and wet shaving/men’s stuff, so I think that has a lot to do with it.
Most of the video game forums I’ve read are one step from chimps beating on the keyboards, and if there was a virtual way to fling poop, they’d do it.
I think the lack of images and YT embeds is a factor, but mostly it’s this. It’s the same reason why kids today don’t bother with mailing lists and Usenet groups. (And really Usenet groups are the #1 example of how a lack of avatars doesn’t stop a forum from turning into a cesspit. I don’t miss them in the least.)