Defining Pornography and Its Distinction from Erotica
Pornography is the style of content aiming at causing sexual arousal, usually in the form of photos and videos, but also writing, painting, and sculpture. Some people recognize pornography as an art, while others recognize it as being too “obscene” to be called an art. In my opinion, it can be called art, as it evokes emotions, and people use their creativity when making it, be it a video or a picture showing sex in various forms. The critical difference between pornography and erotica is their message, rather than the form. Therefore, Gloria Leonard’s words are valid in some cases: the difference depends on the message communicated via them, and the choice of scene lighting can be determined for this aim.
Legislative Efforts to Regulate Internet Content
Today, legislative attempts to control the spread of pornography are numerous and diverse. Some countries ban pornography websites completely, while others require mandatory age confirmation, sometimes by showing a document that confirms age, such as a passport.
The Need for Laws Protecting Minors from Online Obscenity
From my point of view, laws to protect minors from Internet pornography are certainly needed. Still, they should focus more on educating and parental control rather than total banning. It is almost impossible to enforce strict laws on the widespread anonymity of the Internet unless the whole country is completely banned, as in North Korea. In addition, I think that such restrictions violate the freedom of choice and self-expression, as pornography is one of the forms of self-expression, and one can choose whether to watch it or not.
Effectiveness of Parental Control Programs in Safeguarding Children
Parental control would be a much better option, as online programs are available to implement it and ban children’s access to pornography websites, which helps to control it locally and is more successful. Therefore, I believe heavy restrictions on pornography are inefficient and do not support them, but I support parental control implementation to limit adolescents’ access to such websites. Along with that, it would be good to increase people’s understanding of the negative influence of pornography to make them decide whether to take such risks.