Former NBAer Reggie Miller does it. Annie on TV's 90210 did it. The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck has even admitted to accidentally doing it.
These days, there seems to be no shortage of stories about people who are sexting, or sending explicit photos and text messages via their cell phones or computers.
The trend isn't limited to celebrities and fictional TV characters. An increasing number of news reports focus on adults and minors who have run afoul of the law because of sexting. Just this week a New Jersey teacher was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly sent sexually-explicit text messages to a student. And in Beaumont, Texas, last week, three students were barred from participating in extracurricular activities because they were allegedly sexting in violation of school rules.
According to renowned attorney Gloria Allred:
- Teens who participate in sexting, and adults who sext with minors, could face criminal charges for child pornography or criminal use of a communications device
- Adults and minors who are convicted of sexting-related charges could face probation or could be incarcerated, and the criminal charges would remain on their record indefinitely
- Adults and minors who are convicted of sexting-related charges could also be labeled as sex offenders, which could require them to register with local law enforcement authorities, notify neighbors of their sex offender status and include them in sex offender databases
In fact, just last week a Pennsylvania state legislator introduced legislation that would make it a summary criminal offense for anyone under the age of 18 to send sexually images or videos using a phone or computer.
Unfortunately, most parents don't seem to realize the potential threats that sexting presents. A recent Lawyers.com study found:
- One-third of parents of teens aged 13-18 are unaware of the practice of sexting, or don't understand what it involves
- Only one in 10 parents believes their teen is sending or receiving sexts
- 64 percent of the parents surveyed do not think their teens have ever engaged in any sexting
One bright spot in the survey: About 70 percent of the parents surveyed say they understand the potential legal consequences of sexting, and a majority of parents say they've discussed the dangers with their children.
If you have teenage children, you should discuss with them the potential ramification of sexting. Not only could your child face criminal legal charges for sexting, but they could also suffer socially.
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