I said “The Motion Picture Association’s ratings aren’t laws–you’re right. However,it’s my understanding some states and/or localities have laws restricting which movies minors can see. Those are enforceable.”
You replied "I don’t know of any such laws in any US state or city. " Well, New York has such a law. You said any such law would be unconstitutional “unless it involved something considered an obscenity.”
But there are certainly laws restricting what minors can see and the definition of what is obscene for minors is different than what is obscene for adults and Ginsberg says that’s okay.
In New York:
A person is guilty of disseminating indecent material to minors in the second degree when:
- With knowledge of its character and content, he sells or loans to a minor for monetary consideration:
(a) Any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film, or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the human body which depicts nudity, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse and which is harmful to minors; or
(b) Any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter however reproduced, or sound recording which contains any matter enumerated in paragraph (a) hereof, or explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative accounts of sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse and which, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors; or
- Knowing the character and content of a motion picture, show or other presentation which, in whole or in part, depicts nudity, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse, and which is harmful to minors, he:
(a) Exhibits such motion picture, show or other presentation to a minor for a monetary consideration; or
(b) Sells to a minor an admission ticket or pass to premises whereon there is exhibited or to be exhibited such motion picture, show or other presentation; or
(c) Admits a minor for a monetary consideration to premises whereon there is exhibited or to be exhibited such motion picture show or other presentation; or
- Knowing the character and content of the communication which, in whole or in part, depicts actual or simulated nudity, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse, and which is harmful to minors, he intentionally uses any computer communication system allowing the input, output, examination or transfer, of computer data or computer programs from one computer to another, to initiate or engage in such communication with a person who is a minor.
Disseminating indecent material to minors in the second degree is a class E felony.
I agree that my original language was too sweeping; I admitted that.