The effectiveness of this "sending signals" relies on general audiences being unable to discern the difference between fantasy and reality which is unfortunately for your point: not a fucking thing. Only people who are already clinically insane have this problem. What you're arguing is almost as bad as everything that came out of the Satanic Panic or boomercons blaming video games for violence.

I don't really care who draws what. I only defend the rights of individuals to draw anything they like - including things I find offensive. I prefer my lolis unlewded same as the next guy. I don't like it and I avoid it. But I think you're straw-manning your opposition and I hate that way more than I dislike lewded lolis.

Japan uses the term "lolibaba"(I would translate this as loli-granny) for female characters that look like children but are adults by age. Purah from BOTW for a non-anime example. Thankfully unlewded... outside of fan art at least. My point is: they divide lolis and lolibaba into distinct categories linguistically. Which should tell you they aren't secretly conspiring to normalize sexualizing literal children unless proven otherwise on a case-by-case basis. This isn't even getting into the otaku culture separation of 3d and 2d, but my cringe inhibitors are too low on power today for that discussion.