Minors shouldn't be posting NSFW art, that's an adult space they shouldn't be trying to get into. Seeing as in America that's illegal and can have heavy punishment's for the adults involved. They also shouldn't be taking NSFW commissions OR receiving them, as that's also very illegal and yet again the adults involved will be punished severely. Minors seem to forget or simply don't care that being in a NSFW/adult space is dangerous for said adults, if they were to get caught and outted to the police either by parents or an adult, any involved with that minor (either by giving them NSFW art, receiving or interaction that is NSFW ) will result in the adult going to prison and being put on a sex offender list. So no I don't think minors should be let in to NSFW spaces and they should keep that to themselves until they are of legal age, coming from an adult it makes me VERY uncomfortable when minors are in those spaces selling, receiving, or posting NSFW art publicly :)
So i had a discussion with a friend about this topic recently and would just be interested in other peoples opinions on it and their reasoning behind them.
In my opinion this sort of thing is not a big deal, minors can have sex so why shouldn't they draw it? And drawing gore seems like no big deal to most people so why should some dicks mentally scar them? Of course they shouldn't be pressured into drawing NSFW and not use themselves as a refrence (would that be considered child pornography?) but having an interest in lewd art is nothing too out-of the ordinary for a teenager. Do you agree/disagree?
Another thing is minors offering NSFW Commissions buuut i'm not sure yet how to feel about that so... yeah. Opinions?
i think it only becomes a problem when minors are interacting with / posting NSFW content publicly. kids r gonna do whatever they're gonna do, whether or not people tell them not to. as long as they're doing it privately it doesn't really hurt anyone. i can't stop you from drawing whatever you want, but keep it somewhere private. don't show it to the internet.
[edit - i originally said that i thought it was probably not a big deal to share it among other minors, but on second thought, it's just better to be safe than sorry. pretty sure there are some cases wherein you (the minor in question) can get brought up on charges, so just be smart and be safe. keep it to yourself.]
however, once minors begin publicly interacting with NSFW content it becomes a sticky, bad situation, and one that's dangerous for anyone who could be involved. for starters, minors have to lie to get into NSFW spaces, and that leads to all sorts of other problems. minors open themselves up to potential predation; adults who assume they're interacting with other adults can end up in trouble for things they didn't even do / intend to do. it's just bad for everybody involved.
when i was a minor i absolutely drew NSFW, so i'd be a huge hypocrite if i were to say that minors shouldn't draw it at all. i don't really believe it's bad in and of itself - just keep it to yourself until you're 18 and it should be fine.
as far as gore, idk why that's really involved in this discussion...? that doesn't seem related at all to the issue at hand imo.
edit - and as far as commissions go? absolutely not. you'd have to lie your ass off to be selling NSFW content as a minor and you'd get yourself and everyone you interacted with in heaps of trouble. just be smart, don't do that.
in addition, as i mentioned earlier, there are cases wherein you, the minor, can get brought up on child pornography charges - i.e. sending nudes. i imagine "using yourself as a reference" probably could get you in a similar if not equal amount of trouble. don't do that.
Its a hard no for me; drawing NSFW content draws in strange peoples, I learned this from younger friends who publicly posted their NSFW art saying how many creeps came to them.
Also I may not be 100% correct on this, but in some or most states I think its illegal for minors to be in possession of NSFW content either way. Kids will always lie about their ages and find loopholes as with anything, but best to just wait until you're 18.
I'm not sure where the law stands on this kind of situation, but my personal belief is that it's fine for minors to explore those topics in their art as long as they are not sharing it with others (including taking/ordering commissions). Like everyone else has said, adults can get in hardcore trouble for interacting with that kind of stuff when minors are involved. And even if you are a minor in that scenario, that doesn't mean you're going to be safe from consequences (especially if you're sharing with other minors).
"Using yourself as a reference" is also a hard no from me. If you're putting yourself in sexually provocative poses, then your reference images have crossed the threshold of being considered child pornography. Which, keep in mind, is illegal to produce even if the images are of your own body. Are you likely to be charged? Probably not, but you reeaally don't want images like that floating around your devices.
Minors engaging in NSFW just bad juju for everyone involved. Be smart, keep it to yourself until you're 18.
as a minor, I agree with the general consensus of draw it, but don't post it. while I wouldn't draw NSFW art myself, well, many artists will have the desire to. it's not like the maturity switch is somehow turned on the second one turns 18.
As a minor, I would personally like to say this:
While we will find loopholes, not everyone is out for NSFW.
I see a couple people who are throwing out the general idea that every minor will try to get into 18+ places, and while it’s true that a lot do, some of us just straight up aren’t into that.
Anyway,
In my opinion, minors should be free to draw or write nsfw as long as it’s kept private. Not only does sharing it make people uncomfortable but it also attracts unwanted attention, creeps and otherwise.
That includes commissions as well.
Also using your own body as a reference is a no from me. That’s possession of underage porn and nobody can tell me otherwise.
imo you cant rly stop them from making the content - theyll draw whatever they feel like drawing regardless, but they 100% shouldnt be participating in nsfw spaces or distributing it. also 'using themselves as a reference' is an absolute nope do not pass go do not collect $200
Let them be themselves, as long as they aren't using minor characters in their drawings why does it matter? It is healthy to understand yourself and accept yourself and if doing that lets them let go of the 'shame' of porn then let them do it. The idea that porn and sex is sinful needs to die. As long as they are not interacting with adults and acting like they are adults or buying NSFW why does it matter? I drew NSFW stuff when I was a minor and it wasn't a problem, but then again I didn't post it anywhere either.
In MY opinion, it's fine as long as the character they are drawing is an adult, and it's not being shared online. (Including private servers and/or group chats) Also, minors buying NSFW commissions is a BIG no-no. you're distributing porn to someone UNDER 18. that's a legal offense and we don't need anyone going to jail.
you can't stop people from drawing what they want to draw.
as a minor, I very much agree with @Milesian's post! i'll read some of the other posts of this thread but they sum up my thoughts perfectly
edit: seems like a lot of people agree with that post actually lol