Eh, apologies. Mostly a cheap shot. It does seem to me people in USA are more prudish about sex and overprotective of children, to the point of denying the underage any agency. But it's a more nuanced discussion, and it's easier to write a snark.

When we find a child who is paid to provide sex we almost always find someone who has been subject to coercive abuse.

It is very rare that we find children who freely make that choice.

Protecting children from that harm --and it is very severe harm-- is important.

Wouldn't this mostly be because of what your search process is biased to find? I won't pretend to know how this is investigated, AFAIK no agency is remotely interested in 'finding' the teenage girls who trade their bodies for either money or gifts in school or shopping galeries; it seems natural that most detected cases would be rape and/or abuse, as it's certainly more noticeable.

Yep, I generally agree with you; we are raising weak/sheltered individuals, and not just in America.

Shielding people from reality doesn't change it, just makes it's ultimate realization more painful.

I've just been seeing a bit too much 'America is evil/bad' lately, consider me triggered :).