u/Treat_Substantial

Context: This is the transcript of a speech I have recently presented in my Public Speaking class, in which we had to discuss and issue, the impacts, and solutions.

⚠️WARNING⚠️: This passage does tackle a rather uncomfortable subject, hence why I put it under the NSFW tag. Since this is a PROFESSIONAL WRITING PASSAGE, I did NOT use buzzwords to spark emotion, single people out, call out specific groups, or blurt out insults in anyway. If you feel targeted or offended by this passage, then it's not my problem. Thank you!

Whenever the discussion arises when it comes to design choices in fiction, the responses are often the same. If you find discomfort in a design, some people will say, “Oh, but they aren’t real” or “But they are canonically over 18.” These arguments dismiss the actual problem, especially when these questionable design choices are applied to youthful or child-coded characters in fictional media. Coming from the 2024 article, “Women in Anime: Anime’s Obsession With Children (Lolicon)” by Cinema Anime, a website created from WordPress and written by author Courtney Allen, “Within this group are also characters that are technically of age but clearly are meant to look like children in order to pander to a specific audience.” This switches the common arguments to be vague as age and legality isn’t what attracts audiences, but instead, its presentation, attitude, and goal of design.

So, what is wrong with design? The issue isn’t age or realism, but how visual designs intentionally exploit youth-coded traits in ways that invite sexual perception. This is often conveyed through body proportions, facial expressions, clothing, voice, and behavior that visually signify youth even when canon details state otherwise. So, as a result, arguments about a character “being 18 or over” or “not being real” fail to address how a design is read at first glance. According to a survey from the British Board of Film Classification by Chike Nwaenie, out of 2,001 participants, “81% agree that sexual scenes in anime are equally impactful as in live-action content, and should be classified similarly.” Because animated media is experienced as equally impactful, the way characters are visually perceived carries interpretive weight regardless of canonical details. Regardless of intent, the way these child-coded characters are designed establishes expectations that exist before the debate of legality or realism begins.

So, who is negatively impacted by this issue? Answer, online communities, most commonly, online communities dedicated to anime shows, movies, merchandise, and video games. Online communities become divided when people within these spaces begin to speak about their case when it comes to suggestive design choices applied to child-coded characters. For example, from the widely popular mobile, anime gacha game, Zenless Zone Zero, there is a special trio of unlockable characters within the game known as the Angels of Delusion. While their designs alone aren’t inherently sexual, interpretations of these characters by some fans such as suggestive fan art and cosplays, and provocative comments, end up sparking controversy and heavy banter discussions within these spaces of the intentions of the characters’ individual designs. As discussions like the sexualization of the Angels of Delusion become more polarized, the result is a lack of constructive arguments, where criticism gets framed as exaggeration and uncomfortable questions are dismissed rather than addressed. This constant cycle within online spaces eventually raises the question: If discomfort around sexualized designs and interpretation of child-coded characters is so widespread, where does the boundaries of responsibility lie socially, platform-wise, and legally?

From a judicial standpoint, there are laws and acts in place to combat this issue. For example, The Protect Act of 2003, aka, 18 U.S.C § 1466A, makes it illegal to produce, distribute, receive, or be in possession of any sexual depictions of minors. This also includes drawings, digital artwork, paintings, and sculptures. However, this law contains a limitation, and that is that it only cracks down in extreme cases. From Is Lolicon Illegal in the U.S.? What You Need to Know by David Shapiro, “...not all lolicon is automatically illegal—it often depends on whether the material is considered obscene and how it was obtained or shared.” This means that this law isn’t to overall ban any form of art that includes a child as a child alone isn’t sexual in any way, nor is the law intended to infringe on people’s First Amendment rights to freedom of expression. For legal action to be taken upon a specific piece of art, it’ll have to pass through a process of obscenity known as the Miller test, which is a test that allows the government to criminalize fictional depictions of minors if certain conditions are met. While the law does establish when intervention is possible, it still doesn’t address the everyday impact that these designs have on communities. In other words, a great portion of responsibility for this issue lies in online spaces and how they choose to address the issue.

So, realistically, what can online spaces like subreddits, Discord servers, and fan websites do to minimize the issue the best way they can? First, they can implement more explicit community standards on child-coded depictions, whereas before, these rules can tend to be vague and leave loopholes for people to exploit. Online spaces can also enforce more consistent moderation within these spaces. This includes removing controversial posts before they escalate, locking threads before they derail, and applying more graduated punishments for repeated violations within these spaces. Another effective way to combat this issue is to create new spaces to separate fans between suggestive content and casual content. This can create safe spaces for fans who don’t want to actively come across suggestive content and ESPECIALLY for minors who are a part of these communities. In this way, being a part of a community does not imply an obligation to accept discomfort by harmful or poorly managed content.

Overall, just like every crime on earth, no number of restrictions will ever eliminate a problem entirely, but they can still effectively discourage these acts and decrease the number of offenses committed. The sexualization of youthful and child-coded characters will forever linger in shows, movies, animations, and in online spaces. No number of excuses should ever normalize how we perceive imagery at a first glance before legality comes into play. The law can only do so much, so it comes down to online spaces to regulate the issue and prevent it from becoming any more normalized than it already is. Community accountability is essential to creating healthier and more responsible media spaces. So, no more dismissing, it’s time these online spaces address the issue now and make their communities safer for both their fans and the casual audience. Thank you!