However, for that same time period, consent sheets were received for fewer than 120 children. Consequently, as we have stated throughout this proceeding, we urge that the Commission's final rule endorse the use of e-mail parental consent mechanisms. In our experience, animation alone is not a reliable indicator for determining whether a site is directed to children. Animated characters and images are used in a wide range of communications directed at adults. In the offline environment, for example, comic strips in newspapers have long used animated characters.
Comic books aimed at college-age readers use animated characters.
These same practices continue in cyberspace. Users can choose Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Wile Coyote, or Speedy Gonzalez. Visitors to the DC Comics site, for example, can learn when the new issues of specific comic book titles go on sale, the location of the nearest comic book retailer, and guidelines for submissions by writers and artists seeking to be hired. Users can also participate in chat room discussions with other fans about comic book characters or plot lines, and new writers or pencillers, or participate in live chats with some of the artists of specific titles. The site is offering pre-registration, a process in which it asks for age.