Legal Issues
Sexting that involves minors (sometimes) sending an explicit photograph of themselves to their peers has led to a legal gray area in countries that have strict anti-child pornography laws, such as the United States. Some teenagers who have texted photographs of themselves, or of their friends or partners, have been charged with distribution of child pornography, while those who have received the images have been charged with possession of child pornography; in some cases, the possession charge has been applied to school administrators who have investigated sexting incidents as well. The images involved in sexting are usually different in both nature and motivation from the type of content that anti-child pornography laws were created to address.
A 2009 UK survey of 2,094 teens aged 11 to 18 found that 38% had received an "offensive or distressing" sexual image by text or email.
In regards to sexting, any type of sexual message that both parties have not consented to can constitute sexual harassment. Some prosecutors have attempted to use child pornography laws to make sexting a criminal act.
Read more about this topic: Sexting
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