Monday, June 22, 2009

Criminalizing Teen Sexting

David Walsh, founder and president of the National Institute on Media, calls for making criminals out of teens who engage in sexting.

I believe that there should be a consequence to get kids' attention, but teen stupidity merits a misdemeanor, not a life-ruining felony.

As a nation, we have to rise to the occasion if we want our children to fully understand what sex really means in a young person's life. Sexy videos on TV and racy sites on the Internet tell kids sex is no big deal. Some state officials are teaching them it's criminal in the extreme. If we want them to grow up to be happy, healthy adults we need to give them guidance and clear standards.

Again, the stupid argument is made that in order to reign in teen sexuality, it has to be made a crime with legal consequences. Mr. Walsh has the audacity to actually suggest that punishing teens for doing what they learn from society at large is the right thing to do.

No, the real answer here is to decriminalize teen sexting altogether. It shouldn't be a felony, a misdemeanor, or even a "parking ticket" offense. Nobody seems to want to admit that teens are having all sorts of sex. from oral to anal to group, often unprotected, but there is this social hysteria over a few nude photographs. Mr. Walsh wants teens to grow up into "happy, healthy adults", but fails to understand that puberty begins earlier than ever today, and that trying to button up the urge to merge for up to nearly 8 years in hormonal teens is not only idiotic, it's damaging.

Teen stupidity is not the problem here, it's adult stupidity.

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