Punishments Could Change For Texas Teens Convicted Of Sexting Pics
Instead of facing child porn felony charges, Texas teenagers convicted of sexting, or sending and/or receiving nude pictures of themselves, will only face misdemeanor charges, if the state’s Attorney General has his way.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Kirk Watson on Monday announced their new plan, which the legislature will take up next session.
A 2008 report from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy indicates that 22 percent of teen girls said they have electronically sent or posted online nude or semi-nude images of themselves.
Under current Texas law, anyone who transmits an explicit image of a teen can face felony charges of possessing or trafficking child pornography.
The new proposal would alter those consequences for teenagers who sext.
Instead of facing a felony charge, they’d face a misdemeanor charge, punishable by probation and restricted cell phone usage. Judges would also be authorized to sentence minors to participate in an education program about sexting’s long-term harmful consequences.
“Studies show that teenage students are increasingly taking, sending and receiving explicit pictures of themselves on their mobile telephones,” Attorney General Abbott said. “This practice is not just harmful to young Texans – it’s potentially illegal. We are joining with Sen. Kirk Watson to address this problem in the State of Texas and offer common-sense solutions that will help protect young Texans.”
In a study released this year, the Cyberbullying Research Center surveyed approximately 4,400 11-18 year-old individuals from a large school district in the southern United States. The results indicated that five percent of boys and three percent of girls acknowledged uploading or sharing a humiliating or harassing picture of their romantic partner online or through their cell phone. Six percent of boys and girls said their romantic partner posted something publicly online to make fun of, threaten or embarrass them.
