Fact or Fiction?
One in five teens may risk life in prison for engaging in the act of soliciting or sending child pornography?
This statement is FACT.
The crime I am talking about is teen sexting (e.g., taking and sending naked pictures of themselves to other teens).
Although it may seem hard to believe, there is legislation in many states which addresses the behaviors associated with teen sexting. In fact in the United States, it is against the law to have lewd photographs of minors and, believe it or not, teen sexting is apart of that law.
For example, in my current state of Georgia, teen sexting can result in the criminal charges of 1) criminal solicitation, 2) corruption of a minor and 3) possession of child pornography. In the nearby state of Mississippi, teen sexting can result in felony charges and a five-year sentence is carried with this charge.
As of August 23, 2012 at least 13 states introduced or are considering bills or resolutions aimed at "sexting"—the practice of sending sexually explicit or nude or semi-nude photos of children by cell phone. Currently two states--Hawaii and South Dakota enacted legislation in 2012 which prohibits minors (and adults) from electronically transmitting nude images of themselves or other minors, or soliciting other minors to do so.
So although this may seem like a harmless act between teens, they may face some serious consequences for engaging in teen sexting. I recommend that parents and community members click on the following link: Teen Sexting Laws to read their state's law on sexting and share this information with teenagers that you know. One click of the send button on a teen's cell phone could change their entire life and result in a life behind bars. So make sure your teens and tweens are informed about the consequences of teen sexting. In part three of this blog series I will share tips about how to talk to your teen about sexting. I have included a video below from ABC news about a recent study on teen sexting. I urge you to watch the video and have a dialogue about it with your teens at home.
Related articles
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Tackle Teen Sexting (blogs.lawyers.com)
What Your State Says about Teen Sexting (blogs.lawyers.com)
Sexting teens risk porn charge (news.com.au)
