Kentucky Vs. ‘Sexting’
One of the big issues states now find themselves wrestling with is how to update the laws that were put in place to protect kids that now, with the advent of ‘sexting,’ are being used to prosecute them. When a person – no matter the age – creates or distributes a sexually explicit image of an underage child, it is child pornography.
Prior to the age of ‘sexting,’ maybe the occasional teenager would snap a Polaroid for her boyfriend. But there was only 1 picture and it could be destroyed… and the number of kids doing this was low enough to never be a hot topic on the radar.
But with great technology comes great stupidity, and now, those 14 year old girls snapping photos of their naked bodies are being charged with manufacturing child porn. And those 15-year-old boyfriends that send the picture to all their friends when the lovebirds inevitably split are getting charged with dissemination of kiddy porn.
It’s happening all over the country and states are scrambling to find a way to make the offense not so serious when committed by stupid teenagers… but at the same time making it punishable enough to discipline the guilty and dissuade the innocent.
Here is Indiana’s progress…
p.s. PC Pandora monitoring software will let you know if you child is sharing nude pics of themselves or others online…
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February 24, 2010
Panel backs bill to combat teen ‘sexting’
By Stephenie Steitzer, Courier-Journal
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky teens caught “sexting” — sending sexually explicit photos through cell phones — would face fines and community service under a bill passed Wednesday by a House committee.
Proponents say House Bill 143 would educate teens about the dangers of “sexting,” without subjecting them to more punitive options — such as prosecution under pornography laws that carry harsh penalties, including possible registration as a sex offender.