Abstract:In this paper we examine the process whereby problem pages contribute to turning what some would perceive to be private troubles' into ‘public issues’, while offering public acknowledgemenl of crimes committed as well as solace and advice to victims of sex crimes. The two examples used, ‘male rape’ and ‘underage sex’ illustrate the complex role of moral arbiter, whereby agony aunts and uncles act as social barometers, reflecting the confusion surrounding definitions of sex crimes. By examining problem pages we learn more about how society defines the borderlines between private problems and public, crimin