Karaian, the author of this article, is much updated about the effects of technological advances, legal and cultural discourses to the teenage girls. The author is concerned about the influence of the social media technologies on teenagers in a broader analysis, basing on child sexual abuse, negative impacts, and risks surrounding childhood sexuality.
The author argues that social, cultural, and moral curiosities contribute a lot to the current failures in policy-making around teen sexting (Karaian, 2012). Karaian also looks at the measures the law takes to govern sexting among young people. Here, the author analyses the current measures that governments take to curb sexting among the youth.
She uses this article to raise the voice of the teenagers concerning sexting, which has been silenced in the public, politics, and media discourse. According to the article, consensual sexting is denied in cultural and legal discourses, and hence, there is the need of calling for attention to these denials. The author speaks directly about things that go unspoken by institutions, groups, and individuals.
For instance, Karaian creates awareness of the different behaviors and risks associated with teen sexting (Karaian, 2012). The author’s argument is very positive. She uses easy language and includes many examples in her work for readers to understand the context.
Cultural and legal discourses should promote campaigns aimed at preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies nationally. The author is not happy with the way sexting receives little or no concerns from the governing laws and cultural beliefs.
Basing on teen sexting, how do the new technologies affect young people?
The emerging technologies play a significant role in creating awareness of preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies. The article discusses that the current national and local media across North America are against risks associated with teen sexting.
According to the author, the media perceive sexting as the practice of communicating or possessing text messages and images that are sexually suggestive on their cell phones or internet (Albury & Lumby, 2010). Teenagers easily access pornographic films through their cell phones.
The author narrates that teenage girls and boys take their nude pictures using technological devices and share them with other teenagers who hold or possess the same devices. Theoretically, this practice can breach child pornography laws. However, it is argued that the act is an expression of the identity of the young people, and hence needs to be protected by the North American law (Karaian, 2012).
How do legal and cultural constructions increase the risks associated with teen sexting?
According to the author’s qualitative analysis of international, national, and local media coverage, sexting is a harmful practice for young people, particularly, the teenage girls. The article states several terms given to sexting occurrences. These include an epidemic, a scare, a dangerous teen trend, and risky and alarming behavior among the others. The culture and legal discourse increase the risks associated with teen sexting.
For instance, the anti-porn and porn feminists confuse the teenage girls with their decisions of whether to embrace pornography or reject it. For instance, if these teenagers get to hear from Debbie Stoller, one of the North American third-wave feminist who embraces the American porn culture, they will follow her footsteps.
For instance, Debbie writes that ‘American porn culture is here to stay.’ She emphasizes that teenage girls should fight for their right to pornography, as this is an American culture (Karaian, 2012). The author discusses how young women and teenage girls get influenced by cultural beliefs and hence embrace the American pornography culture.
The cultural and legal discourses dominant in the US deny teenage girls their rights by silencing their voices on teen sexting. According to the author of the article, the two discourses do not include only subject girls to further regulation but also refer to teenagers as unknowable sexual objects (Karaian, 2012).
The author narrates that any self-exploitation that occurs in a single teenage girl affects all the girls. Sexual expressions in digital technologies require critical reconsideration. I support the author’s argument that cultural and legal actors should take appropriate measures to make sure that they avoid further contributions to youths’ endangerment.
This will help the nation to curb the ever confused meaning of sexting and pornography among young people. The author comments that such an action can help avoid bringing the youths into subjections to the harms of criminal sanctions. The author concludes by saying that the cultural and legal discourses need to be specific because if not, youths would be haunted for the rest of their lives (Karaian, 2012).
Therefore, the article emphasizes listening to the voices of teenage girls about sexting. This will require revisiting the legal and cultural discourses in North America and other parts of the world, to help in reducing the risks associated with sexting among the young people.
References
Albury, K., & Lumby, C. (2010). Introduction: Children, young people, sexuality and the media. Media International Australia, 1(135), 56–59.
Karaian, L. (2012). Lolita speaks: ‘Sexting‘, teenage girls and the law. Crime Media Culture, 8(1), 57-73.