I started browsing 4Chan at around age 10-11 (until about age 17) and despite it being a toxic cesspool, I think it was a valuable (and probably formative) expe

I started browsing 4Chan at around age 10-11 (until about age 17) and despite it being a toxic cesspool, I think it was a valuable (and probably formative) experience. In other parts of the world where people have it much rougher, children aren't put inside of a bubble where they remain clueless about how the world works and the nature of human beings. Not everyone is awful -- most people aren't, I assume (or perhaps, like to hope). But 4chan put you face to face with some of the most vile, fucked-up shit you'd ever seen in your life on the daily. And this can give you a lot of perspective, especially early on in life. Being a 10 year old from suburbia who had only lived this regular, sheltered America life and then getting on 4Chan and seeing + interacting with these types of people was eye opening and quickly sheds light on a lot of things you probably couldn't conceive of. I guess it could make you callous or insensitive too, but fortunately I like to think that didn't happen to me.