U.S. Sexting Laws (From http://mobilemediaguard.com/state_main.html). 10th Grade Lesson – Using Technology Respectfully and Responsibly from Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Sexuality Education Curriculum

Did You Know…? Possessing a sexually explicit image of someone under 18 is a crime – even if the person who receives it is under 18, too. Sending a sexually explicit image of a minor to someone else is a crime – even if the picture is of yourself. Taking a picture of a minor doing something sexual with another person, as well as asking or tricking a minor into sending a sexually explicit image is a crime.

This Means… A teen who takes a naked picture of themselves and sends it to another teen, has technically committed 3 felony crimes: promoting, distributing and possessing child pornography. A teen who receives a sexually explicit image (even if it was not requested) can be charged with possession. If they send the picture to anyone else they can be charged with distributing child pornography if caught.

The Law Takes This Really Seriously! If one of the teens is 18 (17 in some states) that teen is legally considered an adult. That means they can be charged as an adult. If convicted, the person will most likely be charged with a felony. Some states then require the teen to register as a sex offender.

What Can You Do? Don’t sext. Not sexting is the only 100% sure way to avoid possibly being accused of wrongdoing. If someone texts you a naked picture of themselves, delete it. If someone texts you a naked picture of themselves or someone else, do NOT forward it on to other people, just delete it. Tell a trusted adult what happened.

What Can You Do? Don’t ask or pressure someone else to send you naked pictures of themselves. Download an app to your phone that will enable you to recall a text you’re having second thoughts about sending. These include, “On Second Thought,” where you have up to 60 seconds to recall a text, and “TigerText” and “Strings,” which allow you to erase a message once it has gone out. Do not mistakenly believe that if you use SnapChat the laws aren’t an issue! Photos shared on SnapChat can be saved, so the same laws still apply.