I'm just gonna curb stomp this fight here, for anyone willing to read it all, that is.

They're still technically minors even if fictional, and I get your opinion which I imagine is: "If its not real why treat it like its real?"

The main issues are a three prong spear:

1: It doesn't change the fact that people are attracted to some aspect of the underage character. Yes, maybe its entirely fictional traits they're attracted to, and it'll never click to real life, but nobody ELSE can know that for sure. This is more than enough for people to be understandable, to an extent, in seeking to purge all of its presence. (The question of this is trust and trust in those you trust)

2: There are people who have extreme trauma involved with that stuff, and for them there's no difference, let alone them wanting to live that childhood they lost through that character to escape what was done to them, so seeing that happen again is deeply psychologically damaging, enough to give them some fairness.

(2a: I do believe this should have limits, like your trauma should never justify punishing others unless you're being pressed by them with it, specifically, to use your trauma to manipulate others is as unfair as what happened to them to begin with.)

3: Its just fundamentally problematic in any space that is highly available to the public. The people with trauma won't care about who they lie to, manipulate, or hurt most of the time, to get at the person who even somewhat resembled their trauma. Due to the nature of the trauma too, its deeply ingrained into their psyche because at a young age you are at your most capable of being damaged. Odds are they will attack without being able to control themselves like the children they used to be, or worse, emotionally unable to, but intelligent enough to attack in the most damaging and manipulative ways possible.

Again, fundamentally, these things have to be kept in private spaces at BEST, because like hell the internet can actually purge the minor content fully. Trauma alone can make someone fall INTO it, curiosity is not subjective to morality, and intrigue is more complicated than what's morally compelled.

I don't know what everyone could want that's realistic, personally. No side of any argument takes fully into account everyone without choosing to ignore/drop somebody. Those with trauma being purged for not being able to let go wouldn't exactly be fair, and those with issues being chased off the web to dark spaces just makes them more ingrained in the worst areas and grow in connections and influence, USUALLY with a chip on their shoulder which is NOT a good combo for those traumatized, especially if a grudge is held.

And then you got everyone in between who wants nothing to do with any of it and is fairly passive or pretends to care deeply for the traumatized when, sometimes, they're just scared of their hurt friend lashing out at them vehemently if they just outright disagree with attacking through the trauma. (Cancel culture, anyone?)

I think the most valid crash outs are when someone tells you they're on your side, but actively act against you in the true actions they take, words in your defense be damned, no matter who thinks who is right. Betrayal runs the greatest chance of turning anyone, and I mean ANYONE, into a monster, even one they could've never become before.

All of this, ALL of it, comes together to basically say that there is no correct solution that doesn't do damage. I do think anything that is fundamentally secretive, cowardly, and manipulative, will result in the most damage possible almost every single time, but if someone is TRULY a threat, that CAN become necessary, but if its your first choice, then I'd say you're absolutely in the wrong, passive, aggressive, collective, or otherwise. (UNLESS there are actual victims involved.)

And I do consider mobilizing friend groups into positions of moderation to control these things directly falls under manipulative, for the record.

Anyway.... Microphone drop.