Texas Senate Bill 20 (SB 20) is causing concern among artists and anime fans due to its potential implications for fictional content involving minors engaging in sexual conduct, regardless of whether the depiction is real, drawn, or AI-generated. The bill’s broad language has raised fears that certain forms of anime and manga, particularly those featuring youthful characters, could be inadvertently criminalized, leading to censorship and impacting creative works.

While the bill does not explicitly mention the anime genre, critics argue that the penalties for possessing, accessing, or promoting obscene visual material involving minors are severe, ranging from a state jail felony to a second-degree felony for repeat offenses. The worry is that the broad wording of SB 20 could have unintended consequences for artistic expression, potentially affecting specific anime or manga content even when no real children are involved.

SB 20 has been passed by the Texas Senate and is now under consideration by the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. The bill’s potential impact on the anime and manga communities has sparked debate over the balance between protecting minors and preserving artistic freedom, with concerns about censorship and the criminalization of certain forms of creative expression.