By Ave Mince-Didier. Sexting is the sharing of nude or sexually explicit messages or photos, usually by smartphone or some other electronic device or means. Certain states have laws specific to sexting between minors. Between consenting adults, the private sharing of nude or suggestive photos is generally not illegal. However, that does not mean that adults shouldn't be cautious. There are circumstances under which sexting by adults could result in criminal charges.
Federal Criminal Defense
Child Pornography and Child Enticement
When done in the wrong circumstances, it can land you in hot water. If a sexual or suggestive picture of an adult is shared among consenting adults in the State of California, that is perfectly legal. However, generally speaking, it is illegal to electronically share sexual images of a person, taken without their knowledge or consent. Scenario 1. Mary, 23, sends Pete, 25, a suggestive photo attached to a text message to celebrate their anniversary. This is legal. Scenario 2. Scenario 3. Mary is showering in a closed-door bathroom, where she feels she has a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Sex Crime Defense
If your child has sent a nude, what steps should you take and what support can you expect from local agencies? Our experts provide insight on this and more about the law, sexting and tips to manage the situation. Most schools will make a judgement on whether to involve outside agencies such as the police but it is important that parents are involved in the discussions and whether support, further education or punishment is most appropriate. Each sexting incident is different and it is important that schools deal with them appropriately on a case by case basis. This is down to a whether the school chooses to involve the police and b whether the police decide it is in the public interest to record the incident as a crime or, in serious cases, move to prosecute. Many sexting incidents are now dealt with in this way. However, for more serious incidents for example, deliberately sharing an image to abuse, using the image to coerce or exploit the victim prosecution may still take place.
In a trend that worries sexual abuse experts, teens and even younger children are sharing more nude pictures of themselves, often with adults, a new study has found. Why it matters: Once shared with even one person, such images can easily be distributed further and become part of the corpus of child sexual abuse material in the dark corners of the web. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Driving the news: Twice as many children between the ages of 9 and 12 reported sending nudes or other suggestive pictures of themselves in , compared to the prior year, according to new research from non-profit Thorn, which works to prevent child exploitation.
