Persuasive Analysis on Teen Sexting

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The issue of teen sexting has been addressed several times in recent months with responses from Susie O’Brian, Jason Tin and an anonymous writer from a teen magazine. Suzie O’Brien’s opinion piece which was published in the Herald Sun on October 11, 2011, contends that teenage sexters should be educated and supported and not treated like criminals. Her direct tone targeted at the Victorian sex offender laws and police contrasts with the understanding and sympathetic tone applied to teenagers. In contrast, Jason Tins newspaper article published in Queensland’s The Sunday Mail on October 9, 1011, asserts that further action needs to take place to put an end to teenage sexting. While both articles argue similar points, Tin’s article differs to O’Brien’s in that his outraged and alarmed tone seeks to criminalize teenagers rather than support them. Similarly, the article “Sinister Sexting,” published in S Press Magazine on September, 2011, furthermore asserts on how young people fail to see the lifelong consequences sexting has. On the contrary to Tin’s article, the author in this editorial uses an alarming tone outlining to teenagers the serious consequences of those who sext. The focal point of O’Brien’s article is the image in the centre of the page. The use of a blurred, dark silhouette evokes feelings of seclusion and vulnerability because the person is alone in a darkened room and seems completely transfixed by their mobile phone. Furthermore, the fact that the figure is unidentifiable highlights that ‘sexting’ is an enduring issue that is widespread across all genders and ages. The provocative tone of the quote on the left side of the image is enhanced by being placed in a window of light, emphasizing that “we should support and educate those who are caught with, or pose for, consensual images, not prosecute them.” In effect, O’Brien encourages readers to feel
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