Sexting - Book Report/Review Example

Sexting Army Adele Hasinoff in the forthcoming book about the media and legal responses central argument is that teens have the right to consensually sext. Sexting entails at the practice of sending sexually explicit images or text through mobile phones or via internet applications. it highly risky and yet teens (and adults) continue to engage in it. The author argue that giving the teens rights to consensually sext is crucial despite the fact that law enforcement officials sometimes responds to sexting with child pornography charges for the adolescent involved (Hasinoff, forthcoming);for instance, in Pennsylania ,parents of nearly twenty high school student received a letter from district attorney accusing their children of possession and dissemination of child pornography in school (Searcey, 2009).

Punishment out of sexting usually differ for the teenage boy to teenage girl; law prohibits all forms of sexting are troubling because girls are disproportionately punished from sexting, even if it is consensual. For example, a case in Seattle in which two girls were suspended for sexting while boys who distributed their private images without permission were not punished at all (Blanchard, 2008).The illegality of sexting also affects queer, racialized and low- income youth whose sexual activities are punished more severely.

As illustrated in Oregon Case (2010); a mother dislikes her daughter relationship with a young woman; she takes and turn in her daughter mobile phone to local police. The older girl was charged with producing child pornography since they exchanged some explicit texts messages and suggestive photos which could have netted her six years in prison and mandatory sex offenders registration (Slovic, 2010). In addition, race may have influenced the case since both girls were African American and U.S justice system harshly enforces law on color people (Alexander, 2010).

It’s vital to consider the question of consent and intent in any sexting incident. If a consensually produced image is shared between partners or friends, this type of sexting I can be a sex act and a form of interpersonal communication and media production. For instance,(M.Haynest,2012) In The Age of Consent have observed great efforts of many scholars to question wisdom of using law that were originally intended to protect children to prosecute them.In conclusion, when sexting is illegal for the teens, it lets abusive sexters off the hook despite the many legal and commentators to believe of protecting youth from victimization.

Therefore, teens should have right to sext, meaning they can produce and distribute sexual images like adults without fear of prosecution for child pornography creation hence answering, (McCurtayne 2011) question “How can a person be charged for porn -graphing their own body”.Works CitedDudley, William. Mass Media. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print.