Austin Murray
College Comp and Research
Summary Response Essay
October 18, 2016
Teen Sexting Epidemic
Do the citizens of America have a teen sexting epidemic on their hands? In the essay entitled “Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law,” Dalia Lithwick, the author, answers this question as she discusses whether or not America has a teen sexting epidemic on her hands and if the criminal justice system is handling this situation properly. Lithwick’s essay discusses whether America has a teen sexting epidemic and whether the police should be involved when minors send their partner nude photos. I agree with Lithwick’s valid explanation that children are not sexual predators, the criminal justice system is too blunt to resolve a problem, and minors should not be charged with felonies if caught sexting.
There is a new epidemic among the patrons of the United States: sexting. The teen sexting epidemic is getting out of control; parents need to inform their children that one decision can cause a lifetime of embarrassment. On the other hand, judges need to realize that a lifetime of humiliation isn't cause for a lifetime of negative effects from a criminal record. Sexting, also known as sending, receiving, or forwarding nude photos of oneself via cell phone, is on the rise. One out of five teens have admitted to sexting. Lithwick states that “whether this reflects child-porn epidemic, or just a new iteration of the old teen narcissism epidemic, remains unclear” (Lithwick par. 1). Nevertheless, minors all around the country are being charged with possession and distribution of child pornagraphy, which is a federal offense. As a result, children in the country are legally labeled as sex offenders. Prosecutors have charged the sender, the receiver, and the forwarder of explicit photos with the same crime: child pornagraphy. However, most of the children that send photos are not sexual predators. That's why the act of charging teens with felonies for sexting is a problem. Lithwick argues that the prosecutor's reason to charge minors who send, receive, save, or forward smutty photos of minors to the fullest extent of the law is flawed. For instance, the prosecutor’s reasoning is that sending, receiving, or forwarding nude photos of minors could seriously harm them in the future. That argument is flawed because the action the prosecutors are taking is charging these minors with felonies, which definitely would affect their lives in a negative way.
I agree that the problem with labeling minors as sexual predators is that most minors who sext are not sexual predators-- they are just hormone filled teens that want to experiment. Lithwick states that “The real problem with criminalizing teen sexting as a form of child pornography is the majority of kids are not predators” (Lithwick par. 6). The children who are using their technology to send and receive inappropriate photos do not do it with an evil predator-like mindset. Minors send explicit photos because it gives them a false sense of maturity. This occurs because these teenagers are allowing other people see their bodies in a sexual way. Minors need to be taught what is right and wrong when using the new technology the world has today.
The court's charge these children with felonies because the consequences of sending naked pictures could be horrible, but being charged with a felony could have worse effects; I agree with this. Lithwick explains, “The argument for hammering every such case seems to be that sending naked pictures might have serious consequences, so let's charge these kids with felonies, which will surely have serious consequences” (Lithwick par. 5). If the criminal justice system charges the minors who are caught sexting with felonies, it could ruin their lives. Being charged with a felony at such a young age would ruin a child's reputation for the rest of his or her life. The law needs to be reviewed when dealing with minors sexting.
I agree that the criminal justice system is too “by the book” to be able to resolve a problem that isn't only about child pornography, but about teens not knowing how to be safe with technology. Lickwith states, “It's clear that the criminal justice system is too blunt an instrument to resolve a problem that reflects more about volatile combination of teen and technology than about some national cyber crime spree” (Lithwick par. 7). The justice system is not set up to teach minors what is right and wrong before they commit the crime. Our society is facing an epidemic of young people getting labeled as sexual predators because they didn't know the laws and how serious the situation is of sending and receiving explicit photos of minors. Parents, schools, teachers, police-- all of these adults need to stress the importance of being safe with technology. Every parent need to have a serious talk with his or her child when they get a device that could facilitate the act of sending nude photos. Schools need to partner up with law enforcement and hold an assembly to talk about the serious matters of sexting. School districts need to do this to help prevent children from being charged with a felony that will ruin their life.
In Dalia Lithwick’s essay, “Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law,” Lithwick explains the issues with America's justice system. She explains how labeling a minor a sexual predator and charging them with a felony can ruin a minor's life. In addition, she explains how the criminal justice system is too blunt to be able to solve the problem. Does America have a sexting epidemic on her hands? Definitely. Is America’s criminal justice system handling the problem correctly? No. With all of the problems teen sexting inhibits, parents need to step up and take control of the problem. Parents of America have to teach their children that sexting is wrong and can ruin their life indefinitely. The criminal justice system also needs to step up and create a solution to teen sexting, not just the punishment.
Works Cited
Lithwick, Dahlia. “Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law.” Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2016.
“Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law.
College Comp and Research
Summary Response Essay
October 18, 2016
Teen Sexting Epidemic
Do the citizens of America have a teen sexting epidemic on their hands? In the essay entitled “Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law,” Dalia Lithwick, the author, answers this question as she discusses whether or not America has a teen sexting epidemic on her hands and if the criminal justice system is handling this situation properly. Lithwick’s essay discusses whether America has a teen sexting epidemic and whether the police should be involved when minors send their partner nude photos. I agree with Lithwick’s valid explanation that children are not sexual predators, the criminal justice system is too blunt to resolve a problem, and minors should not be charged with felonies if caught sexting.
There is a new epidemic among the patrons of the United States: sexting. The teen sexting epidemic is getting out of control; parents need to inform their children that one decision can cause a lifetime of embarrassment. On the other hand, judges need to realize that a lifetime of humiliation isn't cause for a lifetime of negative effects from a criminal record. Sexting, also known as sending, receiving, or forwarding nude photos of oneself via cell phone, is on the rise. One out of five teens have admitted to sexting. Lithwick states that “whether this reflects child-porn epidemic, or just a new iteration of the old teen narcissism epidemic, remains unclear” (Lithwick par. 1). Nevertheless, minors all around the country are being charged with possession and distribution of child pornagraphy, which is a federal offense. As a result, children in the country are legally labeled as sex offenders. Prosecutors have charged the sender, the receiver, and the forwarder of explicit photos with the same crime: child pornagraphy. However, most of the children that send photos are not sexual predators. That's why the act of charging teens with felonies for sexting is a problem. Lithwick argues that the prosecutor's reason to charge minors who send, receive, save, or forward smutty photos of minors to the fullest extent of the law is flawed. For instance, the prosecutor’s reasoning is that sending, receiving, or forwarding nude photos of minors could seriously harm them in the future. That argument is flawed because the action the prosecutors are taking is charging these minors with felonies, which definitely would affect their lives in a negative way.
I agree that the problem with labeling minors as sexual predators is that most minors who sext are not sexual predators-- they are just hormone filled teens that want to experiment. Lithwick states that “The real problem with criminalizing teen sexting as a form of child pornography is the majority of kids are not predators” (Lithwick par. 6). The children who are using their technology to send and receive inappropriate photos do not do it with an evil predator-like mindset. Minors send explicit photos because it gives them a false sense of maturity. This occurs because these teenagers are allowing other people see their bodies in a sexual way. Minors need to be taught what is right and wrong when using the new technology the world has today.
The court's charge these children with felonies because the consequences of sending naked pictures could be horrible, but being charged with a felony could have worse effects; I agree with this. Lithwick explains, “The argument for hammering every such case seems to be that sending naked pictures might have serious consequences, so let's charge these kids with felonies, which will surely have serious consequences” (Lithwick par. 5). If the criminal justice system charges the minors who are caught sexting with felonies, it could ruin their lives. Being charged with a felony at such a young age would ruin a child's reputation for the rest of his or her life. The law needs to be reviewed when dealing with minors sexting.
I agree that the criminal justice system is too “by the book” to be able to resolve a problem that isn't only about child pornography, but about teens not knowing how to be safe with technology. Lickwith states, “It's clear that the criminal justice system is too blunt an instrument to resolve a problem that reflects more about volatile combination of teen and technology than about some national cyber crime spree” (Lithwick par. 7). The justice system is not set up to teach minors what is right and wrong before they commit the crime. Our society is facing an epidemic of young people getting labeled as sexual predators because they didn't know the laws and how serious the situation is of sending and receiving explicit photos of minors. Parents, schools, teachers, police-- all of these adults need to stress the importance of being safe with technology. Every parent need to have a serious talk with his or her child when they get a device that could facilitate the act of sending nude photos. Schools need to partner up with law enforcement and hold an assembly to talk about the serious matters of sexting. School districts need to do this to help prevent children from being charged with a felony that will ruin their life.
In Dalia Lithwick’s essay, “Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law,” Lithwick explains the issues with America's justice system. She explains how labeling a minor a sexual predator and charging them with a felony can ruin a minor's life. In addition, she explains how the criminal justice system is too blunt to be able to solve the problem. Does America have a sexting epidemic on her hands? Definitely. Is America’s criminal justice system handling the problem correctly? No. With all of the problems teen sexting inhibits, parents need to step up and take control of the problem. Parents of America have to teach their children that sexting is wrong and can ruin their life indefinitely. The criminal justice system also needs to step up and create a solution to teen sexting, not just the punishment.
Works Cited
Lithwick, Dahlia. “Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law.” Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2016.
“Teens, Nude Photos, and the Law.