help i dont know what to do
im 18 years old and for the last 5-6 years occasionally ive looked at NSFW content (like hentai) of teenage fictional characters anime characters around my age, viewing stuff on sites like rule 34. i never have attraction to anyone in real life significantly under my age and i definitely have no attraction to prepubscent children (even though ive ruminated on that hundreds of times).
but in my country canada accessing this content is technically illegal and CSAM according to the criminal code, because it includes fictional depictions of minors. so im going to stop looking at the content because i dont wanna do something thats illegal (even if morally i didnt think it was bad because i wasnt harming anyone and my real world attraction was fine). that means there is a real possibility i could be a criminal for simply having viewed this content.
what am i supposed to do? you can tell me to accept the uncertainty, but how can ANYONE, even without OCD, accept that they might be a CRIMINAL. should i go see a lawyer? would that be reassurance seeking? but isnt it important to know if im a criminal or not?
Posted Aug 3, 2026, 2:04 PM UTC