The C.P.P.A. extends the federal prohibition against child pornography to sexually explicit images that appear to depict minors but were produced without using any real children.

The legal status of cartoon pornography depicting minors is a unique subject which interacts with internet pornography, simulated pornography, obscenity laws, and specific laws against child pornography.

But the sale of child pornography, which depicts minors engaged in sexual acts, is universally forbidden.

Distribution of obscene materials depicting minors is a crime punishable with a 1-5 year prison sentence.

In the recent Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition case, however, the Court held that sexually explicit material that appears to depict minors might be constitutionally protected.

This is related to obscenity charges involving pornography depicting minors, being applied to a fictional comic book.

Simulated child pornography is defined as pornography depicting minors that is produced without the direct involvement of children in the production process itself.

As for the provision that forbade advertising speech so as to convey the impression it depicted minors engaged in sexual conduct, the Court found this provision to be even more sweeping.

The Government has proposed criminalising possession of non-realistic sexual images that depict a character in the scene who appears to be under 18 (see Legal status of cartoon pornography depicting minors).

August 2, 2007 - LiveJournal users are banned without notice for depicting art "depicting minors in explicit sexual situations".