But sexting can take on many forms, from ambiguous flirtatious comments to kinky messages and then of course there's full blown "here's a picture of my ....." fill in the blank.
But sharing pics or vids of sexual content is not something new. What is new, is the method in which they are shared today and it's been getting a lot of guys into trouble, particularly young men who are being faced with felony criminal charges of distribution of child pornography.
Yup, child pornography. What do you think of when you think of distribution of child pornography? Would you think that a 13 year old who gets a naked picture from his 13 year old girlfriend and then goes around and shows it to his friends who in turn take a picture of it with their phone and text message it to all their friends is considered child pornography?
Sending a picture to your boyfriend can be as innocent as the smile on your face, or as risque as a little sneak peak peep show. Whatever it is, there is an unspoken rule of courtesy that the sharing is being done between two individuals and no one else. This is an understanding that most adults comprehend and respect. But what about kids?
The new generation is being raised by technology with tech devices acting as attached limbs, but do they really understand the responsibilities and consequences that come along with the power of technology? And how can we expect parents to teach them when so many of them are afraid, weary or disinterested in learning the in's and out's of it themselves? Today, most kids are teaching their parents how to use technology.
No parent would expect their daughter to take a picture of them self half naked or naked never mind text message or email that picture to another boy. No parent would want to believe that they hadn't taught their daughter "right from wrong" or hadn't instilled enough self esteem or self confidence or values or morals or whatever you want to call it. But does it really have anything to do with that, when the boy you're in love with is asking you to show him a little sum' sum' and all you really want to do is put a smile on his face?
Then on the other hand, no parent expects their son to share indiscreet pics of a girl with all his buddies. No parent wants to believe that they haven't instilled the morals, beliefs, values, etc etc in their son and that instead of sharing he would simply delete the pic. And then BAM!
Handcuffs are being slapped on his wrists and he's being taken to jail for distribution of child pornography and will be forever labeled as a sex offender. Some cases in point include:
This January in Pennsylvania, 6 teenagers were charged. Three girls for creating child porn, and three boys (who it was sent to) for possessing it. In Texas, an eighth-grader actually spent a night in prison after his coach found a nude picture on his cell phone which had been sent by another student. In Wisconsin, a 17-year-old was charged with child pornography after posting naked pictures of his girlfriend, who is a year younger, on the internet. In Rochester, New York, a boy aged 16 faces seven years in jail for circulating an image of a girlfriend to friends.
A 15-year-old girl in Ohio and a 14-year-old girl in Michigan were charged with felonies for sending along nude images of themselves to classmates. Similar charges have been filed in cases in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, and Utah. Some may remember back to the case in Florida a few years ago where a teen couple took pictures of themselves nude, and engaged in “unspecified sexual behavior.” The police got involved somehow when one of the kids sent the photo to the other. They were tried in the courts and convicted for both production and distribution of child pornography, and the teenager who had received the image also had the charge of possession. It was taken to an appeals court, and they lost. The convictions stood.
The list could go on and on. So what exactly is the problem? Is there something wrong with the parents, the kids, technology or the law? Better yet, what's the solution? You tell me.Side Note: Recently (in June) Florida passed a law making sexting illegal, banning teens from sending nude or racy pictures to each other. The first offense is a non-criminal violation punishable by eight hours of community service or a $60 fine. The second strike is a first-degree misdemeanor and on the third offense, sexting becomes a felony, carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence. In reality, this new law softens the punishment for teen offenders, who were being prosecuted under child porn laws and labeled as sex offenders.
What do you think of this new law?? Does the punishment fit the crime? Is it too lenient? Or should it even be considered a crime?
