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Technological advancements have begun to blur the line between the virtual and real, bringing about more threats to the safety and well-being of children. One such is creating virtual child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using deepfake technology. Another significant and well-established strand of creating overtly sexual content is hentai, in its meaning of anime and manga pornography. In early 2018, the online platform Reddit changed its rules on simulated pornography and sexually suggestive content involving minors after mainstream media raised deepfakes-related concerns. Based on a large dataset (N = 13293) of Reddit comments collected on the topic, this article takes a qualitative approach to examine Reddit users’ views and attitudes about the sexualization of minors (SOM) in deepfakes and hentai. The analysis captured five major themes in the discussion over SOM: illegality, art, promoting pedophilia, increase in offending and general harmfulness. Furthermore, the discussion was underscored by the central question of who is a minor, which feeds the already problematic definitional ambiguity and keeps the perceived discursive boundaries of the illegality of SOM in flux.

Parents have a central role in mediating and teaching children about different risks. Parental awareness and beliefs significantly influence their prevention efforts. While the existing literature demonstrates that parents tend to be less aware of the different online risks children encounter, there is a considerable gap in understanding the intricacies of parental perception of both risks and harm. This study explores parental perspectives on online sexual risks and harm. Data were collected from 22 parents during focus group interviews (n=6) combined with activity-oriented questions. The findings suggest that parents perceive (the presence of) risk as something related to either parenting or specific child-related characteristics. Also, the level of harm was related to the presence of the child’s (sexual) agency. According to parents, children with a sexual agency are less likely to be harmed than those without sexual agency. The study provides new considerations to inform policy responses and education program design.

Parents have a central role in mediating and teaching children about different risks. Parental awareness and beliefs significantly influence their prevention efforts. While the existing literature demonstrates that parents tend to be less aware of the different online risks children encounter, there is a considerable gap in understanding the intricacies of parental perception of both risks and harm. This study explores parental perspectives on online sexual risks and harm. Data were collected from 22 parents during focus group interviews (n=6) combined with activity-oriented questions. The findings suggest that parents perceive (the presence of) risk as something related to either parenting or specific child-related characteristics. Also, the level of harm was related to the presence of the child’s (sexual) agency. According to parents, children with a sexual agency are less likely to be harmed than those without sexual agency. The study provides new considerations to inform policy responses and education program design.

Technological advancements have begun to blur the line between the virtual and real, bringing about more threats to the safety and well-being of children. One such is creating virtual child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using deepfake technology. Another significant and well-established strand of creating overtly sexual content is hentai, in its meaning of anime and manga pornography. In early 2018, the online platform Reddit changed its rules on simulated pornography and sexually suggestive content involving minors after mainstream media raised deepfakes-related concerns. Based on a large dataset (N = 13293) of Reddit comments collected on the topic, this article takes a qualitative approach to examine Reddit users’ views and attitudes about the sexualization of minors (SOM) in deepfakes and hentai. The analysis captured five major themes in the discussion over SOM: illegality, art, promoting pedophilia, increase in offending and general harmfulness. Furthermore, the discussion was underscored by the central question of who is a minor, which feeds the already problematic definitional ambiguity and keeps the perceived discursive boundaries of the illegality of SOM in flux.