Shellow was recently hired by the Washington-based non-profit, The DKT Liberty Project, to represent a teenager in northern Wisconsin who was criminally charged with sexual exploitation and possession of child pornography. The potential punishment for this teenager was time in jail and a lifetime membership on a sex offender registry. Very few of them start with slamming jail doors, and none of them start with a sex offender registration list. At the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force gets tips a month of possible illegal online activity targeting kids.
Attorney: Teens who exchange naked pics are making a mistake, not sex offense
But for teens who do sext, there are both psychological and legal risks, especially if coercion is involved and the images wind up being distributed beyond their intended audience. Sexting is certainly not just a teen issue, but these tips are specifically for teens and parents of teens. Scroll down for tips for both parents and teens. There are also cases where the teen is responding to peer pressure, bullying or even threats. In rarer cases, adults solicit images from teens. Possible consequences : The consequences of sexting can range from nothing at all to extremely serious.
Sexting and the Law - Press Send to Turn Teenagers into Registered Sex Offenders
Updated August Washington passes new teen sexting law. On April 24, , Gov. We have published a new article with additional information about the new law. Skip to main content. EG that a minor can be charged with distribution of child pornography for taking and sending a picture of their intimate areas to another person.
Online pornography is now readily available and poses a mammoth problem to our young people today. Some estimates suggest that kids are first seeing pornography as young as 8 years of age as you could appreciate gathering accurate research evidence about this topic is ethically challenging and often methodologically-flawed. Other research suggests that first exposure occurs around 10 years of age. Some kids are intentionally watching pornography for entertainment and to garner ideas about sex.