Many Memphis parents know that what teenagers are doing on their phones can lead to serious legal consequences. Parents should be aware of the risks involved and make sure their teenager knows how their actions can have serious consequences, even as bad as a sex offense charge.
Teenagers are typically at the age of being aware of their own sexuality, and they are extremely interested in their boyfriends and girlfriends. Combine their hyper-sexuality with their typical bad judgment and a host of problems can occur. But, authorities prosecute teenagers who send naked pictures of themselves via their phone and computer. A teenager who is caught sending naked or sexually suggestive pictures of themselves to others can face felony possession of child pornography charges. Teenagers who send these pictures via Snapchat believe that once the picture disappears from the receivers phone it is gone forever. However, the person who receives the picture could make a screenshot of the image and then it would be saved. Other apps that can lead to legal problems for teenagers include Wickr, oovoo and Kik.
Although many teenagers make bad choices, they typically don’t face criminal charges. Parents should be aware of how serious some of these situations can be and make sure they are watching their child’s social media habits. A criminal record can have many long-term consequences and also affect college choices and scholarships.
If a teenager is facing child pornography charges because of sexting the parents may want to get more information on who a strong criminal defense strategy may be able to help. Due to the seriousness of a felony child pornography charge, it is important for the accused to do whatever it takes to defend themselves.
Source: wmcactionnews5.com, “‘Sexting’ could land teens in jail“, Sasha Jones, Aug. 6, 2014
