Social
media makes information more accessible to Internet users. Almost all
information goes online nowadays and Internet users gain access to it
instantly. This indeed brings great convenience to the Internet users. However,
social media also allows illegal material to circulate more quickly and
further. Messages are brought to inappropriate audience without proper
censorship. To make things worse, teenagers are not passively exposed to
pornography online today. They are actively exchanging sexually explicit photos
of themselves, a phenomenon known as sexting (Siewert, 2015). Sexting among
juveniles is considered as child pornography, which is illegal in United State
of America. Parents and authorities in USA face great challenge to monitor what
teenage children send and receive through social media today.
According
to Siewert, teenagers make use of instant communication function of social
media to send nude photos of themselves to their girlfriend or boyfriend in the
United State of America (USA). They innocently believe that their photos would
stay private, but their photos might circulate among their peers or even spread
to online pornography websites. Many youngsters do not know that sending or
owning sexually explicit photos of anyone under the age of eighteen is
considered as child pornography, which is criminal. Jaffe (2015) mentions in
his article that some teenagers post sexually explicit photos of themselves on
social media, such as Instagram, to attract attention. Predators then make use
of direct message to ask for more sexually explicit photos from them. These
teenagers are at high risk of sexual harassment.
A
current solution to underage sexting is that juveniles may face five years
mandatory sentences upon receipt, distribution and production of child
pornography in the USA (Child Pornography Sentences, n.d.). Most teenagers do
not know the consequences of child pornography and many think that it is “no
big deal” since most peers are doing it. However, criminalizing all the
innocent teenagers does not solve the problem. Siewert mentions in her article
that some states take alternative approaches to penalize teenagers who engage
in child pornography. For example, in Texas first time offenders are sentenced
to community supervision upon completion of a sexting education course.
Elsewhere, minors are sentenced to serve community-service projects to raise
awareness of sexting. Indeed, they should be given a second chance to
understand the aftereffect of sexting and child pornography.
The
measures that have been done so far are mostly punitive. This will only prevent
teenagers from repeating the same act, but not prevent their peers from
committing the same crime. This is because teenagers tend to take the risk,
thinking that they will not be caught for sexting. Preventive measures that
focus on school education program should be adopted to complement punitive
measures. The purpose of an education program is to change the cognition of
teenagers who think that sexting is not a serious act. These education programs
should serve to educate teenagers about various consequences of sexting. Also,
authorities like social media sites and parents should practice censorship to
the minors. By doing so, the number of first time offenders would be greatly reduced.
An
alternative solution is that law enforcement in the United States works closely
with high schools in the USA to come up with educational programs that serve to
alert students about various consequences of sexting and child pornography.
Teenagers may take the risk of sending photos of themselves to their
girlfriends or boyfriends thinking that they will not be caught for it.
However, they have to understand that legal issues are not the only problems
they may face for sexting. The educational program should inform them the risk
of their photos being spread to others or even online websites. This may leads
to blackmails or sexual assault. These minors are exposing themselves to
unknown risks. Some real life examples of blackmails or sexual harassment can
be presented during the education program to deter teenagers from
sexting.
In
addition, online social media like Facebook and Instagram should practice
censorship more strictly to those who are under the age of eighteen. Once
inappropriate photos of minors are detected, social media should have the right
to inform guardians of the minors. Social media should also alert teenagers
when they receive a friend or follower request from an ambiguous individual.
This is to protect them from predators of child pornography online. Furthermore,
guardians should conduct impromptu check of their minors’ phones and computers
to make sure that they do not own sexually explicit photos of themselves and
their peers. Parents can also place the chargers in their rooms such that
teenagers will not have access to phones and electronic devices during bedtime
(How to prevent teenagers from sexting and protect them from other teens who
do, n. d.). Some may argue that the privacy of minors is being compromised and
their human rights are infringed. However, when teenagers cannot make right
decisions for themselves, their legal representatives should have the right to
protect them from jeopardy.
In conclusion, US courts should continue to penalize teenagers
who misuse social media as a medium for sexting and child pornography. At the
same time, law enforcement and schools could complement punitive measures by
providing preventive education programs. Authorities practice necessary
censorship to the minors to protect them from illegal acts. These measures work
together to make social media a conducive space for sharing.
(886 words)
Child
Pornography Sentences. (n.d.). Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
Retrieved from http://famm.org/affected-families/child-pornography-sentences/
How to
prevent teenagers from sexting and protect them from other teens who do.
(n.d.). Reputation.com. Retrieved from http://www.reputation.com/reputationwatch/articles/how-prevent-teenagers-sexting-and-protect-them-other-teens-who-do
Jaffe, A.
(27 February 2015). The disturbing ways some teens are using Instagram. Identities
Mic. Retrieved from http://mic.com/articles/111304/the-disturbing-way-teens-are-really-using-instagram
