I'm Twelve Years Old and What is This meme.

I'm Twelve Years Old and What is This?

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Updated May 19, 2023 at 11:31AM EDT by Zach.

Added May 31, 2009 at 11:31AM EDT by Badgerfrank10.

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Im 12 years old and what is this????

About

"I'm 12 Years Old and What is This?", also known as "I'm 12 and what is this?", is a catchphrase typically used to react to something that is considered vulgar or outlandish, such as x-rated media. It is sometimes used to express general confusion, similar to "wat" and "what is this I don't even".

Origin

During Operation Porn Day on May 20th, 2009, one of the many Operation YouTube raids, 4chan users flooded the video-sharing site with x-rated clips under the guise of popular adolescent entertainment like Lazy Town, Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

The next day, the BBC[1] reported on the attack and quoted the now-infamous YouTube comment in one of the videos seen at :37 during the on-air segment:

In one video titled Jonas Brother Live On Stage, a user posted a comment saying: "I'm 12 years old and what is this?"

Usage

The phrase is typically used to bring attention to the presence of sexually explicit or shocking material. On November 15th, 2011, the phrase was used as the title for a Body Building Forums[7] thread with a sexually explicit YouTube embed which has since been deleted.


11-15-2011, 01:06 PM #1 I'm 12 and what is this? Sidoduy Banned 2 NO Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 4,544 Rep Power: 0 BODYSPACE YouTube 0:00 / 0:00 。 Reply 11-15-2011, 01:08 PM #2 Roysizzle Registered User dat der be some wild freaky asian sex

The phrase can be used to express general bewilderment and confusion as shown in a Nintendo[12] forums post from February 26th, 2011.


I'm 12 and what is this? Topic Started: Feb 26 2011, 10:57 PM (560 Views) lulz ensure Feb 26 2011, 10:57 PM I was looking at this and it put the Wii higher than the PS3. w--! This wii is s---. how the f--- did it get higher than the PS3? It makes no sense. I hope someone agrees 114 Trophies Ma55 D35truct709 L 4 ChuChu 102 12 HUCHU Powered by PS3Trophies.com

It has also inspired the phrasal template "I'm X and what is this?" which can be seen in a World of Warcraft forum post titled "I'm Forsaken and What is This?"[10] posted on December 29th, 2011.

Spread

The earliest archived mention on 4chan was posted as a reply to a thread titled "A blind guy on /b/" on May 28th, 2009:


>> □ Anonymous 05/28/09(Thu)01:173 No.138308332 Dan how old are you? Anonymous 05/28/09 (Thu)01:18:4 No.138308555 >138308332 he is 12 and what is this

The first Urban Dictionary[2] definition was submitted on July 25th, 2009:

Internet meme that came about after some kid said it on a comment when Youtube.com was raided with porn. Usually said after something that adults talk about/kids wouldn't get. Not to be said in real life, like most other memes. On August 24th, 2009, the comedy network Barely Digital[5] published a blog post about the phrase's origin.

There are thousands of Yahoo Answers[8] results for the question "I'm 12 and what is this?" Several Facebook[3] groups referencing the phrase have been created, the most popular of which "I'm 12 and what is this?"[4] has accumulated 1,505 likes as of January 25th, 2012.

Notable Examples


I am 12 year old, and what is this? Im 12 and what is this IM A FILLY AND WHAT THE F--- IS THIS IAM 4.5.BILLION YEARS OLD AND WHAT IS THIS. M 12 VEARS OLD AND WHATIS THIS ln 900 And whatthis is

Star Wars MMO: ToS Violation

On Januart 21st, 2012, a thread was submitted to the /r/gaming subreddit titled "It's been said before, but we really need to boycott EA/Bioware. Here's the newest bullshit" featuring a screenshot of an email from a Bioware staff member for their latest multiplayer role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic. In the email, the player was told that they were being suspended for admitting they were under 13 years of age by chatting "I'm 12 and what is this."


PRIVATE MESSAGE: YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN INFRACTION AT STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC You have received an infraction at STAR WARS: The Old Republic Yesterday , 10:02 PM Dear CommunitySupport You have received an infraction at STAR WARS: The Old Republic. Joined: Oct 2008 Reason: Terms of Service Violation (Underage User) Your account has been permanently suspended for violating the Star WarsT: The Old Rep regarding being under 13 years of age: ublic™ community Terms of Service, specifically Quote: TOR Accounts will not be allowed for minors under thirteen (13) years of age, regardless of permission and/or registration by such minor's parent or guardian. Due to your statement on our forums that you are under 13 years of age, we have permanently suspended your account for violating our Terms of Service Should you have any questions about this message or any other issues that require assistance, please email us at mmun sw This infraction is worth 15 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire Original Post: www.sw mmun Quote: I'm 12 and what is this All the best, STAR WARS: The Old Republic

After several Redditor's questioned the screenshot's authenticity, the original poster uploaded a video to YouTube to prove that the email was real:

The story was subsequently covered by the video game blog Kotaku[6] on January 23rd.

Search Interest

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