Migrants to IJ, 2007

There are laws in many places against sharing explicit *images* with minors--that's why porn magazines aren't sold to them and can't be displayed where they can get at them.

There are no laws against explicit *text*--a 12-year-old can buy Anne Rice's Beauty series. (Or The Joy of Sex, because its images are considered to have educational value.)

There are, as yet, no cases of obscene text as defined by law. Fanny Hill, an explicit, sometimes-banned book about a 15 year old becoming a prostitute, is available for free online. There has been only one case of obscene non-photographic artwork: a graphic novel that involved brutality, sex, violence, and gore.

Sexually explicit images may need to be restricted somehow--a flock is the most obvious way, but an age statement/online signature method might also work. Exactly what kind of sexually explicit images need to be kept from minors varies by state; there's been no case establishing what rules a website is expected to follow. (Certainly the ones you live under; whether you're supposed to follow the ones I live under as well is debatable.)

Nobody wants to be the test case. That includes Squeaky, who doesn't want InsaneJournal shut down for two years during a trial. So be nice to Squeaky, and do what you can to keep minors from viewing material it's illegal to show to them.

However... sexually explicit material doesn't mean naked people. Do some research; many state laws are very detailed about what minors can't view. It may be that it's only images of penetration or other specific acts that are forbidden.