Utah, Vermont Lawmakers Look To Remove Harshest Charges For Teen 'Sexting'

[Regis Philbin]

Vermont = Pedophile's Paradise

http://wcbstv.com/technology/sexting.vermont.teens.2.983956.html

Vermont Lawmakers Look To Legalize Teen 'Sexting'

Under Current Law, Teens Who Text Message Explicit Photos Could Be Prosecuted As Sex Offenders

MONTPELIER, Vt. (CBS) ―

Text messaging graphic pictures of yourself could soon be legal for teens in Vermont.

Lawmakers there are considering a bill that would make it legal for teenagers 18 and under to exchange explicit photos and videos of themselves – an act that's come to be known by teens as "sexting."

Under the current law, teenagers could be prosecuted as sex offenders if they get caught sending graphic sexual images of themselves, even if it was consensual.

A state House committee will hear more testimony on it later this week.

In a recent study, 18 percent of female students nationwide say they've tried sexting.

[Whoda Thunk?]

Did you miss the part that said "18 and under"?

[Annoyedlistner]

Regis, the major issue i have is that these kids are having to register as sex offenders. In reality what that does is lump teenagers into the same group as child molesters and rapist.

Thats not right, I bet that if this technology was available when some of the people on this very board were teenagers, they might have done the same thing.

There needs to be some form of punishment, but registering as a sex offender is something that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

I dont think you will understand that though.....

[WannaBreatheYou]

Registering as a sex offender as a minor doesn't necessarily follow them their whole lives. My child (12 years old) has to register. It's a pain in the ass, and it's because he'd been molested when he was 6 (raped by a boy that was babysitting him, I didn't know about it until he started perpetrating on some younger girls). Because the people he'd asked if he could touch were more than 2 years younger than him, he has to register as a sex offender. But when he's 18, as long as he's completed all of his counseling and passed his polygraph tests, he won't have to register as an adult.

However, I'm not sure that making it legal for kids to send sexually explicit pictures and texts to one another is the way to go about it. Those pictures can wind up ANYWHERE after you hit "send", and that constitutes child pornography.

[Richard Tafoya]

AP:
http://www.standard.net/live/news/legislative/166693/
Utah lawmakers have agreed to lessen the penalty for minors who send or receive nude pictures through their cell phones, called "sexting."

House bill 14, sponsored by Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, would reduce the penalty for someone younger than 18 to a misdemeanor from a felony. Those over 18 could still face felony charges.

Sen. Gregory Bell, R-Fruit Heights, says some parents currently interfere with investigations because they don't want their children to be charged with a felony.

The bill passed the senate on wednesday and now goes to the governor.

AP:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jILxnxHKnpXCACIYFj9u0pZzlNxgD97IG9I80
Legislation passed by the Vermont Senate and pending in the House would remove the most serious legal consequences for teenagers who engage in "sexting." The bill would carve out an exemption from prosecution for child pornography for 13- to 18-year-olds on either the sending or receiving end of sexting messages, so long as the sender voluntarily transmits an image of himself or herself.

The bill, however, would not legalize the conduct. Legislators believe prosecutors could still use laws against lewd and lascivious conduct and against disseminating indecent materials to a minor.

State legislatures, including Vermont's, have been cracking down on sexual predators in recent years, but lawmakers here say they don't want increasingly tough penalties applied to those caught up in what many regard as a youthful fad.

[tiger_rascal]

What has the world come to? :noway:

Take the cell phones from the kids. They should not be sending any nasty stuff from their cell phones.

[WannaBreatheYou]

How about the parents actually pay attention to what their kids are texting?

The Utah thing? That's where I learned that it's considered child pornography to send sexually explicit pictures over the phone. They had detectives on the station I listened to on every week to discuss internet crimes against children, and that was one of the things they talked about a lot. Because boys would take a picture of their wang and send it out in mass texts, or girls would take pictures of themselves.

Really it's stupid to do that. I dont' care how old you are.

Or, get kids the phones with no camera on them. And have texting blocked on their phones.

[tiger_rascal]

Exactly! It sounds to me like parents need to take control and start disciplining their children.

I have a cell phone and I dont even know how to text or send pictures! :eek: