According to the notes, child pornography is prohibited if it depicts an actual child.

According to the notes, child pornography is prohibited if it depicts an actual child.

• A. It is prohibited if it depicts an actual child
• B. It may be punished only if it depicts a real child
• C. Possession of adult pornography may be punished
• D. It is never prohibited

Answer: (A)

The trigger for child-pornography prohibition is the involvement of a real minor. The notes emphasize that material showing an actual child in a sexual context is illegal, and this harm—the exploitation of a real child—drives the prohibition and any accompanying punishment. That’s why identifying the depiction of a real child as the basis for illegality is the correct framing. Materials that don’t involve a real minor (for example, purely fictional or adult-only content) fall outside this rule, and the other statements either misstate the scope or are not accurate under this rule.

The trigger for child-pornography prohibition is the involvement of a real minor. The notes emphasize that material showing an actual child in a sexual context is illegal, and this harm—the exploitation of a real child—drives the prohibition and any accompanying punishment. That’s why identifying the depiction of a real child as the basis for illegality is the correct framing. Materials that don’t involve a real minor (for example, purely fictional or adult-only content) fall outside this rule, and the other statements either misstate the scope or are not accurate under this rule.