ASA Journal Questions 'Childhood Innocence'

A peer‑reviewed article in the American Sociological Association’s Sex & Sexualities argues that 'childhood sexual innocence' is a colonial fiction and calls for centering children’s sexual pleasure in scholarship. The authors urge rejecting 'adultist' approaches and treating children as sexual agents. Publishing this position in a flagship sociology venue signals a potential mainstreaming of views that challenge age‑based sexual norms. — If academic gatekeepers normalize frameworks that sexualize children, it could influence education, research ethics, and age‑of‑consent debates while intensifying public distrust of universities.