What is your definition of pornography?

Monique Natalia, Contributor, Jakarta

There sure is a lot of controversy about the definition of pornography. Some people say that materials with nudity can already be considered pornography, while others think that only materials that contains sexual activity can be considered as pornography.

Then, there's the endless debate about the thin line between pornography and art. We asked six young mall-goers about what they think defines pornography and what should be done about it.

Bernardo, 16, South Jakarta: I think pornography involves making videos or photographs on sexual topics. It doesn't have to be a sexual act; nude pictures, I think, can also be considered pornography.

But if the nudity is shown in a painting, I wouldn't define it as pornography. For me pornography is more about selling something for the sexual pleasure of men or women.

Most people do it (create something pornographic) for the money. They want to get money. I think it is wrong if it is done for that purpose. Some people would also do it for attention.

I don't agree with pornography. I think they (the government) should do something to stop it. Like in some countries buying porn is illegal, but there are still places where you can find pornographic materials. Before, like three years ago, the subject was more open for lot of people.

Also here, in Indonesia, it used to be a lot easier to buy pornography. Now it's getting harder to find.

Kris, 17, South Jakarta: There are lots of things that can be classified as pornography. But basically I think something can be considered pornography if it involves two or more people doing sexual activity for the public and getting paid for it.

As for the source of pornography, I think that the Internet is one of the main source of pornography. It's open to every single person and you can access it everywhere.

In my opinion, pornography should be regulated. But the regulation could be more of something like an age limit or something. Like, maybe, you can not watch porn until you are 18. I think it's a good rule. Unlike some of the things the government is trying to do. They try to ban all pornographic materials but it's not working.

There will always be some way to find pornography from somewhere, especially when you are a foreigner. Here, in Jakarta, you can find a lot of people selling magazines on the street. There are some places where those people would come up to you and offer you a porn magazine just because they see that you are a bule (foreigner). It's very easy to get here in Indonesia.

Terri, 15, South Jakarta: I think pornography is gross. Like those movies that are only about sex and also magazines that are just about nudity. You know, like Playboy and Penthouse. Those porn films are just dedicated to sex ... But there are also movies that just have one sex scene in their stories. This kind of films, I don't mind.

In terms of consumers, I think that most of the people who watch or reads porn are boys. I think porn is just another little toy for guys. Personally, I'm not a sexually active person, but I've heard somewhere that guys think about sex every three seconds. I don't know if it's true or not, but it shows that you cannot stop people from watching.

I also don't think the government can do too much, because it's still going to be available. In some cases, age limitation works but there are store owners who would just sell it to anyone.

Steve, 15, South Jakarta: I think anything with people naked in it is porn. You know. Like pictures of naked women and stuff. It's also more sexual. Even though some people think that some pictures of naked people are art, I don't think so. You can't call pictures with naked people in it art, it's still porn!

Here you can find a lot of pornography in the form of VCDs. You know, you can find all kinds of porn films in VCDs.

Personally, I don't agree with it. I am not a consumer of pornography. But what other people do is none of my business. If other people want to watch it, they can. If they don't want to watch it, then they won't.

Here the government is always trying to stop it, but I think in general anything that the government tries to do doesn't really work. They (the government) would only make pornography harder to get, but it's still going to be around.

Dina, 18, West Jakarta: To me pornographic materials would be things that are filled with sexual content. To me if it's just pictures of naked women, it cannot be considered porn, but if it involves sexual activities, it's definitely porn.

It's hard sometimes to differentiate between pornography and art, though. Some people would say that a picture of a naked lady is pornography while some other people would consider it art.

This kind of controversy can be problematic in a way. I guess the only way to define if something can be considered pornography or not is through the court.

Here, the government is always trying to ban pornography. Even when you buy foreign magazines they would black out pictures of breasts and other intimate organs. For me it's silly. It basically just ruins the whole picture. What I find irritating is the fact that you can find pictures of naked women everywhere with their breasts flaunted but you can not find pictures of naked men.

Even in film, you hardly see a man's sexual organ being flaunted. But when it's a woman, it's like they are not afraid to show it. That is so not fair! I think pornography is the most noticeable form of exploitation of women.

Wulan, 19, North Jakarta: I think pornography should be banned altogether. Even materials that only contain nudity. Basically I think it's really bad for this country's morals.

Especially the Internet; with the Internet the access to pornography in unlimited. What if small children surf the Net and find those things? I think it would be really bad for their mental growth.

Even in magazines and tabloids. Before, the only pornographic material found here in Indonesia was the magazine called Popular, now you can find all kinds of porn tabloids. It's really bad now. In places like Mangga Dua and Glodok, you can find all the porn films you want. I think there are a lot of pornography because the demand for it has also increased. There are even people who collect porn films, like some of my friends here in Jakarta.

I know that the government is trying their best to stop it, but I think what they're doing is not enough. It's not working at all. They should create a strict regulation and really apply it. I think people are still dealing in pornography because there are still no real actions taken against it.