Juvenile and Criminal Justice
Teens and Technology
New technologies have created new opportunities for juveniles to communicate with one another. With over 12.5 million teen subscribers to Facebook1 and more than 20 percent of teens admitting to “sexting,”2 adolescents who fail to appreciate the risks associated with Internet and various social media communications may find their private information, including photographs and other images, shared well beyond the intended recipients.
In an effort to ”keep up” with advances in technology, many state legislatures have rushed to introduce bills to criminalize sexting and related behaviors. Touted as a deterrent to other teens contemplating posting or sharing nude or partially nude images of themselves, this “scared straight” approach would impose harsh criminal penalties even on youth who engage in consensual exchanges—instances where there is clearly no intent to harm.
Juvenile Law Center promotes public policies that avoid criminalizing reasonable and normative adolescent behaviors, including sexual experimentation that today may include the consensual exchange of suggestive photos over their cellphones, as their parents may have exchanged Polaroid pictures 30 years ago. We support educational measures that reflect and are consistent with adolescent development research. We support the engagement of parents, communities and schools in the efforts to keep children safe and alert them to the consequences of various risky behaviors. Juvenile Law Center’s work seeks to ensure that typical—though ill-advised—juvenile behavior is not criminalized.
On the other hand, we support legislative efforts that attempt to curb the harmful effects of sexting and technology use by teens, such as cyberbullying. In 2010 and 2011 Juvenile Law Center worked with legislators and other advocacy groups in Pennsylvania to draft legislation that addresses the appropriate and inappropriate use of technology among teens, striking a proper balance between society’s interest in curbing conduct that is intended to harm others and conduct that arises as youth naturally transition from adolescence to adulthood.
1Carmichael, Matt. “Stat of the Day: Survey Finds 7.5 Million Pre-teens on Facebook.” AdAgeBlogs .Crain Communications.Web. May 2011.
2The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, and Cosmogirl.com. Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults. Washington D.C.: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2008. Web.
Last updated December 2011
Fast Facts
-
An adjudication of delinquency may limit opportunities to seek higher education, obtain employment, or enlist in the military.
Pennsylvania Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network, "The Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist," May 2010.
-
In one study, 20% of youth admitted to sexting.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmogirl.com, "Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults," 2008.
-
Juveniles are not as capable of socially responsible decision-making as adults.
Cauffman, Elizabeth and Steinberg, Laurence. "(Im)maturity of Judgment in Adolescence: Why Adolescents May Be Less Culpable Than Adults." Behavioral Sciences and the Law 18.6 (2000): 741-760.
-
There is no evidence that zero-tolerance policies make schools safer or improve student behavior. On the contrary, research suggests that the overuse of suspensions and expulsions may actually increase the likelihood of later criminal misconduct.
ACLU, "School to Prison Pipeline: Talking Points," www.aclu.org, 6 June 2008. Web. June 2011.
-
In 2008, 71% of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 used cell phones.
Lenhart, Amanda. "Teens and Mobile Phones Over the Past Five Years: Pew Internet Looks Back ." Pew Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research Center, 9 Aug. 2009.
Follow: