Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)?

Sorry if i come off as blunt or radical. And, side note, this may get a bit psychological... ╮(￣▽￣)╭

In this day and age, the general belief i seem to be getting from the culture & media around me is that sex should not be a shameful topic, and people should be able to talk freely about it and learn about it without having to be ashamed.

If so, in keeping with this idea, would it not be fair to allow the underage to read sexual materials such as yaoi or ecchi or smut or yuri? Don't get me completely wrong, I do think it is right to uphold things like statutory rape and prohibiting graphically violent material (such as gore like disembowelment or similar stuff) to kids. But if we are to become a more open society about ideas such as sex we should give them the information they need so they have time to contemplate what they want and to absorb all the information.

kids don't magically transform into adults on their 18th (or 21st, for that matter) birthday. they aren't magically imparted with sexual knowledge and mental preparedness that they will need to deal with it when it actually happens! They need to be taught. yaoi, or sexually explicit material, is just a method to expose people to sexual ideas that they might actually enjoy (and introduced in a non-clinical way such as a formal class about sex).

in the future, if we can stand to let go of this social norm, i think it would be good to change this one little thing about "TV-MA" or "R18" from sexually explicit material to just violently graphic.

Just FYI, I am a supporter of people also getting a formal and up-to-date education on sexual health and conduct. I have taken such classes myself but without reading yaoi there would be a lot I would miss out on. And, another plus to reading yaoi, you can't be too embarrassed to ask!

again, sorry if this is just me ranting to get my opinion out there. feel free to reply with your own take on sexually explicit material and it's age restrictions.

*** this question disregards the factor that a lot of kids read R18/TV-MA stuff already despite it saying 'don't read if you're not above 18'. this is about social stigma and formal regulations not de facto.

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

cinnamoroll 22 11,2018

like lol i'm not gonna say underage ppl shouldn't read this stuff (bc i did) but like lmao, it's not sex ed. it's porn. people are promoting sex ed towards underage kids. not exposure towards pornographic material, which is often completely unrealistic, sometimes displays toxic relationships, and gives a standard to naive people that isn't possibl...... reply

22 11,2018

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

Jetta 13 01,2017

Well... im my country the legal age for sex is 16 so it would be pretty weird if people are not allowed to read aboult sex when they are old enough to do it themselves. Besides that, kids are often sexually mature at ages even younger than that. They feel sexual attraction just as we do and are curious about their bodies. The legal age is not for h...... 2 reply

13 01,2017

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

PlotLikeMyGravyThickens 06 07,2016

http://www.cracked.com/blog/how-sexual-peer-pressure-can-ruin-sex-forever/ This question reminder me of this article I read a couple of days ago. It's a good read. Check it out if you have a chance! 1 reply

06 07,2016

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

TheClassPresident 10 07,2021

I read a lot of medical books from a young age. I knew about sexual intercourse, genital anatomy, processes like fertilization and menstruation etc when I was 6. So the idea of sex was not new to me. But I was baffled when I actually came across porn at the age of 11. Turns out my whole theory about sex was wrong. I thought that once we are sexual...... reply

10 07,2021

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

nival 14 01,2017

Depends from the person, jep. But i would disagree that exposure to this fiction filled world is a good option. I know that most young ppl would complain about me saying that any experience affects them more than it seems - in this case completely unrealistic depiction of sex and romance but im still gonna say that it leaves traces in mind and not ...... reply

14 01,2017

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

Arila 05 07,2016

I'm not sure if this is really an answer to it but when I was like really little I was molested by my uncle. I don't know if it was just that but I've been told that compared to most of the teenage people around me and maybe some adults I'm quite mature for my age. I don't really remember when I got into anime or yaoi but besides normal reading it ...... 1 reply

05 07,2016

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

Sleepyworm 05 07,2016

I have thought about it. In my opinion, I think that's it's alright for pornographic content to be screened. Because it's all up to the individual. If he/she's curious about sex, then those age restrictions are easy enough to get through. But as there might be some who do not want to know about it too early since they mind rules (not that it's bad)...... 1 reply

05 07,2016

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

supremecurt 05 07,2016

I agree that it should be okay to be more open about these kinds of stuff. It's like, why make porn a secret when a lot of people know about it? It's probably a lot better to make the kids more aware about what shit they're watching. I don't think it's really unavoidable, getting the kids to watch/read porn. During the hormonal period, you get cu...... 1 reply

05 07,2016

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

[DELETED] 05 07,2016

My parents never taught me about anything sexual on their own account. They were forced to give me a one sentence definition of the basic topic because of Glee (that's also how I found out about the LGBT community). After that, they left me to figure things out for myself. I learned a lot of stuff through books and the Internet. I realize that man...... 1 reply

05 07,2016

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Have you ever questioned the idea that people who aren't over 18 shouldn't read mature stuff (yaoi)? [Answer]

[DELETED] 06 07,2016

I think it matters more on education than age. I don't know about the other countries here, but in mine you learn about sex education at grade 7 (age 12) but recently some schools, are now starting to teach it at grade 1... In this education system, it really starts at grade 5/6 but the information is really minimal. From grade 8 it's "condoms, ...... reply

06 07,2016

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