Sexting (H 5094, S 733)

Over ACLU objections, the General Assembly has enacted a law making it illegal for minors to engage in “sexting,” the widespread practice among teenagers of transmitting nude photos of themselves to others. The ACLU argued that while children should be educated about the dangers of sending sexually explicit e-mails and texts, the practice should not be criminalized.  Although the legislation tightened up the definition of “sexting” in response to Affiliate concerns and treats the matter as a status offense, the legislation still allows children who engage in sexting to be charged with child pornography, something that bill proponents said the legislation was designed to prevent.  Read our “sexting” testimony here, and a letter sent to the Hon. Teresa Paiva Weed here.