Does its existence desensitize pervs and make abuse more likely, or does it provide an outlet such that they'll be less likely to abuse? Are there any research papers on this?
(Goes without saying: fuck pedos)
Does its existence desensitize pervs and make abuse more likely, or does it provide an outlet such that they'll be less likely to abuse? Are there any research papers on this?
(Goes without saying: fuck pedos)
This comes down to definitions of words.
Are child depictions in anime ok? Yes they absolutely are. There are many depictions of children that are completely harmless, adorable, exceptionally well written and respectful content.
Is sexualisation of children for the audience's thirst for sexualised depictions of children ok? Never. Ever.
There is fundamentally a difference on that second one, there is a difference between depicting the romantic story of two young teenagers as they grow and explore and learn of who they are and what their growing feelings are compared with the sexualised depiction of either a child or a stand-in child as a 500year old vampire. There are two extremely fundamentally different things here, one is in good faith, one is in bad faith. When you actually engage with the content it is extremely easy to see this.
Good depictions of children? Sweetness and Lightning. A heartfelt anime depicting the daily life and struggles of a single dad and his daughter.
Good depictions of teenagers growing and learning their feelings and emotions? Bloom Into You. A lesbian romance about young teenagers discovering and working through their feelings.
Bad depictions? Everything you will ever find in any shounen anime.
As for the OTHER side of this topic -- lolicon. Bad. Always. There's no debate to have about it.