In Not in Front of the Children, Marjorie Heins explores the fascinating history of “indecency” laws and other restrictions aimed at protecting youth. From Plato’s argument for rigid censorship, through Victorian laws aimed at repressing libidinous thoughts, to contemporary battles over sex education in public schools and violence in the media, Heins guides us through what became, and remains, an ideological minefield. With fascinating examples drawn from around the globe, she suggests that the “harm to minors” argument rests on shaky foundations.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction to the 2007 Edition INTRODUCTION From Plato to Computers Youth and Censorship: A Road Map Clarifications and Caveats 1. "TO DEPRAVE AND CORRUPT" Minors, Censorship, Sex, and History The Invention of Childhood? "Protecting the Young and Immature" Free Love, the Comstock Law, and "Secret Entertainment" Some Judges Start Asking Questions 2. MORE EMETIC THAN APHRODISIAC Freud, the First Amendment, and a First Round with Ulysses Minors and Obscenity in the '30s and '40s Juvenile Delinquency, Social Science, Comic Books, and Professor Kinsey Intellectual Rumblings 3. THE GREAT AND MYSTERIOUS MOTIVE FORCE IN HUMAN LIFE The Supreme Court Speaks - Finally Protecting Young Psyches After Butler and Roth Buttons, Armbands, The Little Red School Book, and Rupert Bear Justice Brennan Changes His Mind 4. POLICING THE AIRWAVES Oral Sex, and "the Public Convenience, Interest, or Necessity" Jerry Garcia and a Definition for Indecency Shielding Young Ears from the Seven Dirty WordsPacifica in the Supreme Court 5. THE REIGN OF DECENCY The FCC, the Meese Commission, and Art About AIDSAct I, the Irrepressible Mr. Stern, and Perhaps Molly Bloom Sealed Wrappers, Blinder Racks, and Dial-a-Porn A Few Judges Think About Indecency and Harm School Censorship, Heinous Crimes, and Violent Videos 6. THE IDEOLOGICAL MINEFIELD: SEXUALITY EDUCATION Modesty, Virtue, and Early Battles over Sex Ed Teen Pregnancy and Sex Respect Abstinence Unless Married Models of Sexuality Education 7. INDECENCY LAW ON TRIAL: RENO V. ACLU Panic over Cyberspace The Wired Courtroom A Never-Ending Worldwide Conversation 8. FILTERING FEVER The Politics of Filtering - Blocking Sex, Vulgarity, and Dr. Seuss State Laws, Loudoun County, and Reno II Heavy Breathing: The "Harry Met Sally" Case V-Chips, and Ratings Revisited Violence, Curse Words, and Kids at Century's End 9. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Minors in the Global Culture Video Nasties and the Venerable BBFC The French Letter and Internet Watch The European Union Weighs In"Les Dangers Ubesques du Filtrage" 10. MEDIA EFFECTS Imitation and Catharsis Disproving Aristotle Definitional Dilemmas Sex, Violence, and Social Science Kids, Ambiguity, and the Social Cognition Approach CONCLUSION: "THE ETHICAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH"Notes Index Illustrations follow page