States weigh relaxing penalties for teen sexting

[dilloduck]

States weigh relaxing penalties for teen sexting - Yahoo! News

 

[Toronado3800]

States weigh relaxing penalties for teen sexting - Yahoo! News

I think I support this. In some ways sexting seems like a conversation between a boy and girl in the back of a 57 Chevy. Perhaps a bad idea but none the less not criminal.

I would sign one of the bills if we can double the penalty for an adult sexting a minor.

Oh, can we make telephone companies turn over text conversations to the holders of the accounts? That means the parents. This way if lil Jayden was having a conversation with 25 year old Adam it would be pretty apparent.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I've never understood why there are penalties in the first place.

 

[dilloduck]

I've never understood why there are penalties in the first place.

America has no clue when it comes to sexual issues.

 

[martybegan]

I've never understood why there are penalties in the first place.

Because it turns on this guy.....

 

[martybegan]

I've never understood why there are penalties in the first place.

America has no clue when it comes to sexual issues.

It has mostly to do with the fact that when it inovlves people under 17 or 18 (depending on the juristiction), it consitutes child pornography, possesion of which is a statutory crime, i.e. it doesnt matter how you got it, its illegal and you are liable.

So even if one 15 yr old sends it to another, if it is considered pornographic, its is child porn, and therefore the possession of such is illegal regardless of intent, age or consent.

 

[Toronado3800]

I've never understood why there are penalties in the first place.

America has no clue when it comes to sexual issues.

It has mostly to do with the fact that when it inovlves people under 17 or 18 (depending on the juristiction), it consitutes child pornography, possesion of which is a statutory crime, i.e. it doesnt matter how you got it, its illegal and you are liable.

So even if one 15 yr old sends it to another, if it is considered pornographic, its is child porn, and therefore the possession of such is illegal regardless of intent, age or consent.

I have heard this arguement before. Are there states where if one concenting fifteen year old shows another their privates it is illegal?

That is what kid to kid sexting is to me. Nothing more, something less because they cant get pregnant

 

[Mr.Nick]

States weigh relaxing penalties for teen sexting - Yahoo! News

What laws were they breaking in the first place?

This is a parental issue not a government issue....

 

[Mr.Nick]

America has no clue when it comes to sexual issues.

It has mostly to do with the fact that when it inovlves people under 17 or 18 (depending on the juristiction), it consitutes child pornography, possesion of which is a statutory crime, i.e. it doesnt matter how you got it, its illegal and you are liable.

So even if one 15 yr old sends it to another, if it is considered pornographic, its is child porn, and therefore the possession of such is illegal regardless of intent, age or consent.

I have heard this arguement before. Are there states where if one concenting fifteen year old shows another their privates it is illegal?

That is what kid to kid sexting is to me. Nothing more, something less because they cant get pregnant

Sometimes kids aren't the brightest crayons in the box and that is exactly why they need parenting...

Of course its going to be difficult but teenagers are a pain in the ass, I know - I used to be one.... I was really bad....

But I grew up and now I'm morally conservative ..... I'm a total 180 from what I was 10-15 years after the fact...

 

[martybegan]

America has no clue when it comes to sexual issues.

It has mostly to do with the fact that when it inovlves people under 17 or 18 (depending on the juristiction), it consitutes child pornography, possesion of which is a statutory crime, i.e. it doesnt matter how you got it, its illegal and you are liable.

So even if one 15 yr old sends it to another, if it is considered pornographic, its is child porn, and therefore the possession of such is illegal regardless of intent, age or consent.

I have heard this arguement before. Are there states where if one concenting fifteen year old shows another their privates it is illegal?

That is what kid to kid sexting is to me. Nothing more, something less because they cant get pregnant

Its not an argument, its basically how these laws are interpreted. In most states mere possession of child pornography is a crime, never mind who filmed it, or how you got it. If said 15-16 year old has a naked picutre of another 15-16 year old, they are in possession of what can be considered child pornography, and are therefore breaking the law.

What is probably being done is clarifiying existing law to exempt underage people, or at least make it a mitigating factor.

Ugh, all this talk of CP is kind of skeevy. Time for Mr Hansen to clean things up.

 

[waltky]

Hi-jinks in Colorado high school...

Sexting scandal involving ‘100 pupils’ rocks US school
Nov 8, 2015: At least 100 students at a high school in Canon City traded naked pictures of themselves, the authorities said on Friday, as part of a large sexting ring.

The revelation has left parents outraged, administrators searching for missed clues, and the police and the district attorney's office debating whether to file child pornography charges — including felony charges — against some of the participants. George Welsh, the superintendent of the Canon City school system, said students at Canon City High School had been circulating 300 to 400 nude photographs, including images of "certainly over 100 different kids," on their cellphones. "This is a lot of kids involved," he said, adding that the children involved were believed to be students at the high school as well as eighth graders from the middle school. Members of the high school football team, the Canon City Tigers, were at the center of the sexting ring, Welsh said.

On Thursday night, separate community meetings were held for parents of football players and those of other stuOn Thursday night, separate community meetings were held for parents of football players and those of other students to address the scandal, which has shocked this quiet, semirural community of 16,000. Because it is a felony to possess or distribute child pornography, the charges could be serious. But because most of the people at fault are themselves minors and, in some cases, took pictures of themselves and sent them to others, law enforcement officials are at a loss as to how to proceed. "Consenting adults can do this to their hearts' content," said Thom LeDoux, the district attorney, but "if the subject is under the age of 18, that's a problem." He added that he was not interested in arresting hundreds of children and would "use discretion" if he decided to file charges.

The photo-sharing was done largely on cellphone applications called "vault apps" that look innocent enough — like calculators — but are really secret troves of photographs accessible with a password. While sexting among children is a rampant problem, "I hope no other school has it at the level we have it at," Bret Meuli, the principal of Canon City High School, said. Welsh said that like other school systems across the country, Canon City schools had received reports of students exchanging lewd photos, but he had not been aware of the scope of the issue until recently, when officials received anonymous tips through a system called 'Colorado Safe2Tell'.

Sexting scandal involving ‘100 pupils’ rocks US school - Times of India

See also:

Hundreds of nude photos jolt Colorado school
Nov 7, 2015: At least 100 students at a high school in Canon City traded naked pictures of themselves, the authorities said Friday, part of a large sexting ring.

The revelation has left parents outraged, administrators searching for missed clues, and the police and the district attorney's office debating whether to file child pornography charges — including felony charges — against some of the participants. George Welsh, the superintendent of the Canon City school system, said students at Canon City High School had been circulating 300 to 400 nude photographs, including images of "certainly over 100 different kids," on their cellphones. "This is a lot of kids involved," he said, adding that the children in the pictures were believed to be students at the high school as well as eighth graders from the middle school.

Members of the high school football team, the Canon City Tigers, were at the center of the sexting ring, Mr. Welsh said. On Thursday night, separate community meetings were held for parents of football players and parents of other students to address the scandal, which has shocked this quiet, semirural community of 16,000. The team was forced to forfeit its final game of the season. Because it is a felony to possess or distribute child pornography, the charges could be serious. But because most of the people at fault are themselves minors and, in some cases, took pictures of themselves and sent them to others, law enforcement officials are at a loss as to how to proceed. "Consenting adults can do this to their hearts' content," said Thom LeDoux, the district attorney, but "if the subject is under the age of 18, that's a problem."

He added that he was not interested in arresting hundreds of children and would "use discretion" if he decided to file charges. Mr. Welsh said a significant percentage of the student body at Canon City High School had participated, with boys and girls involved in seemingly equal numbers. The photo-sharing, some of which took place in school, was done largely on cellphone applications called "vault apps" that look innocent enough — some look like calculators — but are really secret troves of photographs accessible after entering a password. While sexting among children is a rampant problem, "I hope no other school has it at the level we have it at," Bret Meuli, the principal of Canon City High School, said in an interview in his office. "But I fear we aren't the only ones."

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