An interesting article a few weeks ago out of the United Kingdom has me wondering who’s responsible when children and teens are caught “sexting”? According to The Guardian, there are children as young as 4 years of age sharing indecent photos of themselves via smartphones, 9 yr. old children posting nude pictures of themselves on Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Between Jan. 2017 and Aug. 2019, in the United Kingdom there were 6,499 cases of underage children sexting, cases investigated by British authorities, cases where some of those children actually ended…
Read MoreTag: Sexting
UK: Children In The UK As Young As 4 Are Being Investigated and Given Criminal Records For Sexting
[inquisitr.com – 12/30/19] Thousands of children across the United Kingdom — some as young as four years old — have been investigated by the police for “sexting” — that is, consensually sharing sexually explicit images of themselves with each other, The Guardian reports. In some cases, the children have even been given criminal records. Laws against child pornography have been around for decades, intended to protect children from being sexually exploited and to punish those who would possess such images and/or share them with each other. However, teenagers — and…
Read MoreOH: Ohio state lawmaker re-introduces 18-and-under sexting bill
[cleveland.com – 11/20/19] COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio state lawmaker has proposed banning sexting for those 18 and under. Underage sexting is already illegal, but Senate Bill 239, introduced Wednesday, carves out a legal definition that makes it a less-serious offense than other crimes involving sexual images of minors. The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Nathan Manning, a North Ridgeville Republican, said his proposed law is meant to prevent minors from facing charges that would force them to register as a sex offender. Read more
Read MoreWI: Students can face fines for sexting in Pewaukee
[cbs58.com – 8/9/19] PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) – The Village of Pewaukee is taking action to address the prevalence of sexting among minors by enacting an ordinance that allows police to issue citations for those caught exchanging nude photos or videos through electronic devices. “The whole idea is to change children’s behavior,” said Chief Timothy Heier of the Pewaukee Police Department. “Get them to stop and make better choices in life.” Sexting is not unique to the Village of Pewaukee. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association…
Read MoreCO: Court upholds ruling to require teen who traded naked selfies with girls his age to register as a sex offender
[sentinelsource.com – 6/28/19] Colorado’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling last week that required a juvenile boy to register as a sex offender after sexting and trading erotic pictures with two girls roughly his age, a split decision that highlights states’ recent struggles with applying laws passed in a less tech-heavy age. It began, according to the court’s decision, at a 2012 Future Farmers of America conference, where the 15-year-old met two girls, one 17 and the other 15. In the months that followed, both girls came to believe they were…
Read MoreNC: Researchers Say Consensual Sexting Between Teens Should Be Decriminalized
[wfmynews2.com – 4/18/19] In North Carolina, if a teen is caught sexting they face jail time and could have to register as a sex offender. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sexting in many states is an act that could get your teenager into a lot of trouble. The problem is it most likely won’t go away. The American Academy of Pediatrics says 1 in 4 teens admits to sexting. Sexting is sending or receiving sexual explicit photos or videos, like a naked selfie. Greensboro Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mary Ann Garcia says…
Read More1 in 4 chance your teen has gotten a sext
[news4jax.com – 4/15/19] As if parents don’t have enough to deal with once their teens’ hormones start kicking in. Apparently, “sexting” is the new flirting, according to some experts. Research compiled in a new article in Pediatrics found that texting sexual images has become increasingly common among teenagers in the United States. That’s not completely surprising, considering teens are using cellphones more than ever. But in 39 studies featuring more than 110,000 teens, researchers found that more than a quarter of teens (27.4%) have received a sext and 14.8% have…
Read MoreWA: Washington Sexting Bill Aims to Shield Teens From Adult Law
[usnews.com – 4/11/19] Legislation aimed at keeping youth who send sexually explicit texts from being charged under adult sex crime laws has cleared the Legislature in Washington state. The bill , which passed late Wednesday night, would create a new group of crimes reserved specifically for minors who are caught with explicit images of other minors, attempting to solve what lawmakers described as a paradox in current law, where even youth who report a sexual picture or video can themselves be potentially charged with a felony — and even forced…
Read MoreNCJFCJ Releases Resolution for Sex Offender Requirements for Youth Under Age 18
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) released its latest resolution regarding sex offender requirements for youth under the age of 18. Research shows that placing youth on sex offender registries does not advance public safety and can actually make communities less safe. Research also shows that re-offending rates for youth who offend sexually are extremely low and that juvenile sexual re-offense risk assessments have been validated for predicting sexual re-offending. Full Press Release RELATED LINKS: KY: Grayson County Sheriff’s Office warns of “sexting” trend among teens [wbko.com -3/28/19]
Read MoreWA: Law Would Reduce Severity of Charges for Teens Who Send, View Sexually Explicit Images
[chronline.com] The state Senate a week ago passed legislation amending state law to reduce charges against teens over 12 years old for sending, producing or viewing sexually explicit material of other teens over 12 years old from a felony to a misdemeanor charge. According to a news release from the Washington state Senate Democrats, the changes reflect the distinction between the sending of sexually explicit images by teens, as opposed to distributing such materials through malicious intent. The legislation was introduced by Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond. Under current law, any…
Read MoreVA: New bill could allow prosecutors to hold more “sexting” minors accountable
[wset.com] BEDFORD Co., Va. (WSET) – A local prosecutor says a proposed bill that charges teens who willfully send illicit images to one another, with a misdemeanor instead of a felony, could allow them to charge more people. This bill already passed the Virginia Senate. Commonwealth’s Attorney Wes Nance spoke on behalf of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth Attorney’s in favor of this bill before the courts subcommittee. Nance said the juvenile courts system allows for rehabilitation instead of incarceration. “No prosecutor when an individual is a juvenile necessarily wants…
Read MoreVA: ‘Sexting’ teens could avoid felony charges under bill that clears Virginia Senate
[roanoke.com] RICHMOND — The Virginia Senate on Monday passed a bill intended to keep teenagers who willingly share sexually explicit images with each other from being branded felony sex offenders. The measure, which passed on a bipartisan 35-to-5 vote, would give prosecutors the option to charge “sexting” among minors as a misdemeanor. Read more
Read MoreIA: Iowa court: offensive text photos aren’t indecent exposure
[thestate.com] DES MOINES, Iowa The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that text messaging a photo of one’s genitals to another person is not indecent exposure under state law. The court ruled found that to meet the definition of the Iowa law as written, such an offensive display must be done in the physical presence of the offended person. “While we acknowledge that one can be offended by a sexually explicit image transmitted via text message, it is much easier to ‘look away’ from that image than it is to avoid…
Read MoreSexting creating legal minefield for teenagers — and the Australian courts system
[Australian ABC News] When young people find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system on serious charges relating to sexting practices, it’s often a conundrum for sentencing judges. In some cases judges have expressed concern about the trend, and have exercised their discretion not to record convictions against young people charged with serious child pornography offences, for sharing sexually explicit photos of themselves. A South Australian Youth Court judge last week spared a 16-year-old boy a conviction for producing child pornography for taking a photo of his own genitals…
Read MoreIN: Indiana Supreme Court – Sex with minors is OK, but it’s illegal to sext them
In Indiana, it’s legal for adults to have consensual sex with minors aged 16 and 17. But it’s illegal to sext those same minors, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled this week. The decision reinstated sexting charges against an adult who texted nude images of himself to a girl he knew was 16. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Prosecutor agrees to settle Knoxville ‘sexting’ lawsuit
The Marion County Attorney’s Office has agreed not to bring a criminal charge against a teenage girl who sent photos of herself in her underwear to a classmate, settling a civil rights lawsuit alleging that prosecutors overstepped their bounds in trying to force her into community service and special classes. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Governor Proposes Bill Protecting Teen Sexters From Felony Charges
The Massachusetts state legislature will consider a bill that protects teen sexters from excessive prosecution while imposing harsher punishments on people who share nude photos with others without the subject’s consent. Filed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday, the bill would prevent prosecutors from charging teen sexters as child pornographers, recommending that they be sent to an educational program instead of prison or juvenile detention. Full Article
Read MoreIA: ACLU to Represent Knoxville Teen in “Sexting” Lawsuit
The ACLU of Iowa announced that it will represent a 14-year-old Knoxville, Iowa, girl who was threatened with criminal charges after texting suggestive photos of herself to a boy. As a result, a local county attorney is threatening her with sexual exploitation of a minor—herself. Full Article
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