§ 235.21 Disseminating indecent material to minors in the second degree.\n A person is guilty of disseminating indecent material to minors in the\nsecond degree when:\n 1. With knowledge of its character and content, he sells or loans to\na minor for monetary consideration:\n (a) Any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film,\nor similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the\nhuman body which depicts nudity, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic\nabuse and which is harmful to minors; or\n (b) Any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter however reproduced,\nor sound recording which contains any matter enumerated in paragraph (a)\nhereof, or explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative\naccounts of sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sado-masochistic abuse\nand which, taken as a whole, is harmful to minors; or\n 2. Knowing the character and content of a motion picture, show or\nother presentation which, in whole or in part, depicts nudity, sexual\nconduct or sado-masochistic abuse, and which is harmful to minors, he:\n (a) Exhibits such motion picture, show or other presentation to a\nminor for a monetary consideration; or\n (b) Sells to a minor an admission ticket or pass to premises whereon\nthere is exhibited or to be exhibited such motion picture, show or other\npresentation; or\n (c) Admits a minor for a monetary consideration to premises whereon\nthere is exhibited or to be exhibited such motion picture show or other\npresentation; or\n 3. Knowing the character and content of the communication which, in\nwhole or in part, depicts actual or simulated nudity, sexual conduct or\nsado-masochistic abuse, and which is harmful to minors, he intentionally\nuses any computer communication system allowing the input, output,\nexamination or transfer, of computer data or computer programs from one\ncomputer to another, to initiate or engage in such communication with a\nperson who is a minor.\n Disseminating indecent material to minors in the second degree is a\nclass E felony.\n
N.Y. Penal Law § 235.21
Disseminating indecent material to minors in the second degree
Applied in 4 court decisions — leading case Ex parte Ingram (2017)
Most recently applied in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton (June 2025)
2014-09-22
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: NYS Open Legislation (New York State Senate). Reproduced from public-domain New York statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.