Censorship in the United States has been a topic of discussion for as long as there has been censorship. Some argue that censorship is a gross overreach of the government while others believe it to be a way of shielding youth from obscene content. These arguments fall upon a spectrum, ranging from the total abolition of censorship to establishing even more strict regulations. While removing the regulation of literature may seem favorable, it is more appropriate to limit the amount of regulation. Censorship in the United States as it stands, particularly in Young Adult literature (YA), is too broad and should be limited to a smaller category, namely it should concentrate on mature content. Mature content, more specifically sexual material, …show more content…
According to the The First Amendment Site, the issues in book censorship that are most common and cause much controversy “are sexually explicit material, offensive language, unsuitable material for children, homosexuality, objectionable religious views, nudity, racism and sexual education, among others” (First Amendment). In today’s society, many of these concepts do not carry the same negative connotation that they may have in the past, and, in fact, several of these concepts, if allowed in literature, could be used as a learning concept rather than content that should be hidden. American censorship is an example of government overreach in many cases, as is shown through the banning of classic books in the past because of the unaccepted ideals, i.e. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Both as an effort to reduce the influence of the government on personal knowledge as well as a chance to educate young adults in ideas that are not currently as openly accepted or ascertainable, YA censorship should be boiled down to a basic concept, only focusing on a small, isolated issue, namely sexual content. This will be the most effective