Is Sex In Second Life Harmful?

As I worked on our report on sex in Second Life, I wondered: Is all this gettin' cyber-sweaty harmful? I decided it depends on the circumstances. But I know many of our readers will say it's just plain wrong. What do you think?

I interviewed many people involved in the cybersex community in Second Life, including a virtual madam, a dominatrix, and a few women who just enjoy it. One woman had been doing cybersex for nearly 20 years.

The conclusion I reached to is that cybersex in general, and sex in Second Life in particular, is no different from any other online recreational activity. It's healthy in moderation, but it's harmful if it becomes an obsession that excludes real-life activity, or if you deceive or otherwise hurt the people closest to you.

And yet, I know that our readers are somewhat conservative, and I expect many of you will say it's just plain wrong. Many will say we shouldn't have even covered the subject.

What do you think? Is sex in Second Life just harmless fun? Or is it harmful? Leave a message and let us know.