When I started age regressing at 15, I didn’t know how much it would change my life. Age regression became a way for me to escape the overwhelming anxiety and emotional pain that came with being a teenager carrying too much on her shoulders. It’s not about “acting like a baby” or “pretending to be a kid.” It’s about finding comfort and safety in simple, innocent things like coloring, cuddling with stuffed animals, or watching cartoons. It’s been a lifeline, helping me process emotions and heal from trauma.
But over the years, I’ve seen something that hurts me deeply: people twisting the meaning of age regression and mixing it with something entirely different: ageplay.
For those unfamiliar, age regression and ageplay are NOT the same thing. In fact, they couldn’t be more different. Yet, in online communities, the two are constantly confused, leading to frustration, invalidation, and even danger.
This article isn’t just to clear up misconceptions. It’s also a plea to protect age regressors, to safeguard minors from unsafe practices, and to demand better boundaries in online spaces.
What Is Age Regression?
At its core, age regression is what Joshua Kaplow describes as “a willful release of age-appropriate behavior to escape present reality.” It’s a mental health coping mechanism. It’s a way to step back into a simpler mindset, often as a response to trauma, stress, or overwhelming emotions. People who regress don’t “choose” to do so, it’s something their mind does as a way of finding safety.
When I regress, I don’t think about adult responsibilities or the pressure to “act my age.” Instead, I immerse myself in things that make me feel safe, like my favorite childhood TV shows, a cozy blanket fort, or even sipping juice out of a sippy cup. For many, age regression is also a tool used in therapy to process deep emotional wounds.
But here’s the most important thing to understand: age regression is completely nonsexual. It’s about healing, not fantasy.
What Is Ageplay?
Ageplay, on the other hand, exists in an entirely different realm. It’s a kink. A consensual activity where adults roleplay different ages, often within the context of sexual exploration. While ageplay is valid for those who engage in it “consensually and responsibly”, it has no connection to the healing practice of age regression.
And yet, these two practices are constantly mixed up. Online, I’ve seen people blur the lines by using the same language, terms, and even aesthetics. It’s as if they don’t realize, or worse, don’t care that their kink crosses into spaces meant to be safe and nonsexual.
The Frustration: When Kink Crosses Into Nonsexual Spaces
As an age regressor, I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt my safe spaces invaded by ageplayers. They join age regression communities, using terms like “little space” and adopting regression-related aesthetics, but their intent is entirely different. What’s meant to be a safe, healing environment becomes uncomfortable and tainted by sexual undertones that have no place there.
It’s invalidating. It’s frustrating. And it’s exhausting to explain, over and over again, that age regression is not a kink. It’s deeply personal, tied to mental health, and not something to be sexualized.
For teenagers like I once was, this confusion is even more damaging. Spaces I turned to for healing were sometimes overtaken by adults with entirely different intentions, leaving me feeling unsafe and misunderstood.
The Danger of Minors Engaging in Ageplay
Perhaps the most concerning overlap between age regression and ageplay is when minors get involved. Teenagers, who might not fully understand the risks, can stumble into ageplay spaces because they confuse it with age regression.
This is dangerous for so many reasons. Predators, especially older men with harmful intentions, can exploit these blurred lines, using ageplay spaces to groom and manipulate younger participants. Minors don’t belong in any kink space, period.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen this happen too many times. Teens looking for a safe regression community accidentally engage with adults in ageplay spaces, not realizing the risks. These predators thrive on this confusion, using it as an opportunity to take advantage of vulnerable minors.
As adults, we have a responsibility to set boundaries and ensure that kink spaces are strictly for those over 18. At the same time, we need to educate minors about the dangers of engaging in adult spaces—whether knowingly or accidentally.
What Needs to Change?
If we want to fix this issue, we need to take action on multiple fronts:
1. Separate the Communities
Online platforms must clearly distinguish between age regression and ageplay spaces. Communities should be labeled appropriately, and moderators need to be vigilant about removing content that doesn’t belong.
2. Educate and Advocate
Both minors and adults need better education about these topics. Minors must understand the risks of engaging in kink spaces, and adults need to respect the boundaries of nonsexual communities.
3. Protect Safe Spaces
Age regression spaces need stronger moderation to keep them safe, welcoming, and free from the influence of kink.
A Call to Action
To my fellow age regressors: let’s continue to advocate for our safe spaces and speak up when boundaries are crossed. Our practice is about healing, and we deserve environments where we can regress without fear of being misunderstood or sexualized.
To ageplayers: please keep your kink in adult-only spaces. Respect the boundaries of nonsexual communities and understand the harm caused when those boundaries are crossed.
To parents and educators: talk to young people about internet safety. Help them understand the difference between age regression and ageplay, and teach them how to recognize unsafe spaces.
Conclusion
Age regression and ageplay are not the same thing, and they never will be. For those of us who use age regression as a way to heal, it’s vital that our spaces remain nonsexual, safe, and respected.
At the same time, we have a collective responsibility to protect minors from unsafe practices, educate our communities, and ensure that boundaries are upheld.
By working together, we can foster understanding, create safer environments, and make sure that age regression remains what it was always meant to be: a source of comfort, healing, and safety.
Helpful Links:
1. Protecting Minors Online – Tips and advice for keeping young people safe on the internet. 2. Age Regression Community on Reddit – A supportive, nonsexual community for age regressors.