Teen Sexting Essay Examples

The urgent matter of Lithwick’s argument is that teens who sext photographs of themselves to their (same age) boyfriends and girlfriends are liable to a criminal record for sending out child pornography. Lithwick feels that this punishment is too harsh and does not fit the crime. The states of Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, for example, the punishments have ranged from being classed as a criminal to being classed as a sex offender and put on a sex offender register for one to two decades.
Another of Lithwick’s major points is that parents need educate their teens about the potential consequences of sexting. Her view seems to be that as the legal system is advocating such harsh penalties, the only other solution is to stop teens committing the so called crime beforehand. This seems to make sense. Although a tee is, arguably, doing little that is wrong by sending a badly chosen photo to a same age boyfriend or girlfriend, the threats have been made, and carried out, by law enforcement. Therefore, all teenagers need to be aware of this and to avoid any behaviours which could result in them being accused or convicted.
As Lithwick points out, being handed a criminal record or, even worse, being placed on a sex offenders’ register, can seriously damage a child’s life, both practically and emotionally. Such criminal convictions can have serious consequences on a person’s likelihood of securing a job, for example. Furthermore, a teen who has been through such an ordeal is likely to have his or her confidence damaged. The experience could even lead an embarrassed teen into a life of real crime as they may feel they have little left to lose.