Teenage sexting is not all the same – criminalise abuse, not sexual exploration
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Teenage sexting is not all the same – criminalise abuse, not sexual exploration
Nikki Godden-Rasul, Newcastle University
Now that so many teenagers have smartphones equipped with cameras it’s inevitable that they’re used to take pictures, sometimes regrettable pictures, and to share them with others. The problem is that this is not just often regrettable in their own eyes, but also illegal in the eyes of the law.
A 14-year-old boy who took a naked selfie and sent it to a girl at school that he’d been flirting with recently found himself in hot water with his school and with the police. Both his and the girl’s details have been added to a police intelligence database for making and distributing an indecent image. Indecent because, as an image of a minor, it’s classified as child pornography under the Protection of Children Act 1978.
The police investigating said no charges were brought as it was not in the public interest. But the boy was informed that this record may, despite the la...
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