Comment E-mail Print

Page 2 of 2

More recently, in a fiercely debated development, child pornography charges have been filed in some other cases nationwide. The most prominent case involves Philip Albert, an 18-year-old Floridian who, after a particularly nasty break-up with his ex-girlfriend, distributed nude photos she texted him to more than 70 people. One of the recipients was his ex-girlfriend's grandparents. When police busted Albert, he was sentenced to five years of probation and is obligated to register as a sex offender--a label he will carry for the next 25 years. At Greensburg-Salem High School in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, three high school girls who sent seminude photos and four male students who received them were all hit with child pornography charges. In Mason, Ohio, two teens were charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after nude pictures of their classmates were found on a cell phone. Mason's prosecutor has publicly said that the teens could be charged with felonies and labeled as sex offenders for these acts. These are just a few of the charges pending in states across the country where teenagers have engaged in sexting and related practices.

Technology makes it easier to do and say things we might not do in person, which is why punishment for sexting ought to be a matter resolved by schools, parents and kids, without intervention from the criminal justice system. While technically viewed as illegal behavior, these incidents could also be construed as a naive exchange between young people oblivious to the far-reaching consequences. Many of the guilty are not even aware they are committing a crime. In Ohio, for example, after several teens were caught sexting, they were required to survey their peers to determine whether sexting was acknowledged as a crime. Of the 225 teens surveyed, only 31 knew.

The main problem with sexting charges is determining who is guilty and who is not. In some cases, those who snapped the photographs have been charged; in other cases, it is those who received the images and stored them. Nonetheless, these acts are perpetrated by teenagers who do not have a basic understanding of child pornography laws. Rather than threatening legal action, parents and educators should take this opportunity to point out the potentially long-term repercussions of sexting. Photographic reminders of my own big-hair days, thankfully, are kept safely in photo albums and shoeboxes--not memorialized on the Internet or cached indefinitely by online search engines.

---

Stacie D. Rumenap is the executive director of Stop Child Predators, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC that prevents the sexual exploitation of children and protects the rights of crime victims. For more information, visit www.stopchildpredators.org.

--------------------

Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

>> Back -- Page 1 2

++ Discuss this topic in The Forum

Current rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (8 total votes)