
Sexting, the latest technological craze in which sexually explicit messages are sent between two parties via text message, is being eyed by state lawmakers. Some of the child safety proposals to be debated this year include the insidious act, more specifically, banning teens from partaking in sexting.
The proposals will be scoured by a child safety committee made up of members of the House, Senate and agency leaders from education, social services and juvenile justice agencies.
The goal of the sexting bill is to educate parents on the dangers of the act and let then in on the bad emotional consequences, as sexting so often leads to cyberbullying, another technological and sociological issue.
The new bill would make sexting a misdemeanor for kids aged 12 to 17 who consciously send naked photos of themselves to others. The penalty would be a $100 fine and they’d be forced to attend an educational sexting program. Failure to attend the program would result in their driving privileges being revoked for three months.
Another bill on the list being eyed is an extension of Kendra’s Law, a law requiring more training for day care operators. It states that spanking is allowed only with parental permission. The bill is named for a one year old girl who was slapped in day care and ended up with brain and retinal hemorrhaging, consistent with a shaken child.
