I had never heard the term ‘sexting’ before this summer. I learned that teens are using their phones to send sexually explicit photos of themselves to each other. I also learned that if the person is under age 17 then it is considered child pornography and obviously it is illegal. Minors can be charged as sex offenders and have possible jail time. Clearly, this is becoming a serious issue because of all the new technology that is present today. I am sure a lot of parents do not know to teach their children about the possible consequences of sexting because it was not present when they were younger. Like I said, I just learned about this during the summer and I am 27. I know my mom would not know anything about it at age 48. A lot of parents have felt that the punishment does not fit the crime and some states are starting to ease up on their penalties. In June, under Florida’s new law: “a first offense is noncriminal and is punishable by up to eight hours of community service or a $60 fine. The second offense is a misdemeanor and the third becomes a felony, carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence” (latimes.com). Personally, I don’t think this will stop teens from doing it. A $60 fine is less than my first speeding ticket. I think now that everyone is aware of this technology the change needs to start with the parents. Parents need to have stricter rules about cell phone usage and they also need to explain the possible consequences of misusing this technology. Pictures on the web/cell phone do not disappear once you send it out, they have the potential to be around a long time and haunt you in the future. Ultimately, this problem is not going anywhere but maybe in the future we can figure out a way to make it better.
If you want to read the article about Florida changing their laws check it out here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/01/nation/la-na-1001-sexting-20111001
