In today’s world, the taking, sending, and receiving of sexually explicit pictures, or “sexting”, between minors in a romantic relationship, is so commonplace that it is practically a rule of thumb. Unbeknownst to the large majority of these minors, the taking, sending and receiving of sexually explicit pictures of minors, between minors, is considered child pornography in the eyes of the law. To think that such a common and socially acceptable activity can land an unsuspecting teen a spot on the sexual offender registry for life. More specific laws must be put into place to better protect minors and handle the issue of underage sexting, because as it is, the current legislation is much too broad and outdated, and does not do a good job of handling cases related to underage sexting. Education must also play a large role in the prevention of these cases as it is imperative that minors be made aware of the possible repercussions of their actions. …show more content…
Jessica Sabbah-Mani, Author of Sexting Education: an Educational Approach to Solving the Media Fueled Sexting Dilemma, includes in her note the stories of two teenagers and a thirty-five-year-old man, both engaged in the creation of child pornography. The teenage couple; A.H., a sixteen-year-old girl, and J.G.W., her seventeen-year-old boyfriend, took pictures of themselves engaging in sexual acts in the privacy of A.H’s bedroom, with no intent to share them with any outside parties. In contrast, you have thirty-five-year-old Mr. Williams, responsible for posting sexually explicit pictures of his toddler daughter to users on the internet in exchange for further child pornography. J.G.W., A.H., and Mr. Williams are all convicted of creating, possessing, and disseminating child