A Pennsylvania State Representative is stepping up to close unintentionally harsh penalties for teen “sexters”. Representative Seth Grove of York, PA is proposing a change in the law to reduce the penalties for “sexting” when it involves between teenagers 13-17 sending these types of photos and text messages .
As we noted previously, the laws in Pennsylvania make no distinction between high school students sending racy photos to each other and child pornographers for whom these laws were originally written. Grove would like to change a first offense of sexting to a second degree misdemeanor, down from a felony, and a court-mandated education program.
As reported in this story, Grove notes that teen sexting, something most people would consider poor judgment and inappropriate behavior, can result in felony criminal charges, 10 years listed as registered sex offender, and a host of other life-altering penalties. The result can be denial of admission to college, student aid, or a job, basically taking out the building blocks of a productive future for a young person.
These changes are more than reasonable. The child pornography laws were written before the time of a cell phone in every teen’s pocket. Presumably the lawmakers at the time never considered that the convergence of technology and impulsive adolescent behavior would lead to teen’s lives ruined by a dumb mistake.
No related posts.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Why is it a criminal act at all? As a father, this is a parental issue. If my daughter sends an inappropriate picture to her boyfriend and he shares it with others, that is an issue I deal with as a parent. If someone takes an inappropriate picture of my daughter and posts it or shares it withour her consent, that’s when the law steps in. Pretty simple…we don’t need the government playing the role of parent. That is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place. We need to restore the role of the family. This law does nothing to help that.