Is Sexting Legal or Illegal? – Things Parents Should Know

Is Sexting Legal: Here's what every parent needs to know: sexting is illegal when anyone under 18 is involved, even if both teens consent. But your honor student can face the same charges as an adult predator for sending a photo of themselves.

I learned this harsh reality when a mom from our school district called me in tears. Her 16-year-old son was facing felony charges because he forwarded a photo his girlfriend sent him.

About 15% of teens have sent sexual images, and 27% have received them. The digital world our kids navigate daily is more legally dangerous than most of us realize.

You can protect your family by understanding what sexting involves, why the law treats it so seriously, and what works to keep teens safe.

In this article, we will look at some of the sexting laws in U.S. states and how parents can tackle the issue with their teens. Keep scrolling!

Part 1: What Is Sexting?

Sexting is the act of sending explicit or nude images of oneself or another person through a mobile phone or other electronic devices. It is a form of digital communication that has become increasingly popular among teenagers and young adults.

Types of Teen Sexting

Part 3: How to Talk With My Kids About Sexting?

As a parent who finds out about their kid's sexting behavior, your first move would be to ground them for god-knows-how-long and take away their phone, right?

Wrong! Restrain yourself, take a deep breath, be the adult that you are, and save your relationship with your offspring with the guidelines below.

Read on.

First, create a suitable environment for the teen to feel comfortable talking about sexting freely with you and make them aware of the consequences. I am not promising it will be an easy task, but it is worth every effort and minute spent on it.

Here we go:

1. Understand their views on sexting

Before discussing your thoughts, let them share theirs. Listen empathetically to help them grasp the consequences.

2. Explain the consequences of sexting

Use media examples to illustrate the emotional, social, and legal risks. Discuss relationship safety and trust.

3. Stay informed and involved

Schools also address sexting. Attend parent-teacher meetings and discuss social media etiquette with other parents.

4. Set healthy boundaries

Teach them why sexting is not harmless and no one should pressure them into it. Clarify the serious consequences.

5. Make the talk effective

Break the discussion into manageable parts. Have casual, informative conversations to drive home key points.

It doesn't hurt to have reinforcement put in place. To back-up the sext pep talks with your teen, you can always have a third eye on your teen's phone to follow up on what's up, right? Damn right! That's why we look at the perfect software to help you do just that. Find out below.

Part 4: How to Talk With My Kids About Sexting?

• Start Early (Before Problems Develop): Begin conversations when kids first get smartphones or social media access (typically ages 11-13). Don't wait for signs of risky behavior. Frame it as digital citizenship training: "Now that you have more digital freedom, I want to make sure you understand how to protect yourself and others online. There are some legal issues that even good kids can accidentally get caught up in."
• Use Real Examples, Not Lectures: Teens respond better to concrete stories than abstract warnings."Did you hear about the high school student who lost her scholarship? She thought she was privately texting her boyfriend, but when they broke up, he shared her photos with the whole school. Now colleges are rescinding offers because the story is all over social media."
• Address Digital Permanence: "Remember, anything sent digitally can be screenshot, shared, or found later. What feels private today might not stay private. People break up, friends get angry, phones get hacked."
• Discuss Peer Pressure Responses: "If someone pressures you for photos, that tells you something important about their character. Someone who really cares about you won't ask you to risk getting in trouble or put yourself in a vulnerable position."
• Create Safe Reporting Channels: This is crucial – your teen needs to know they can come to you if something goes wrong without facing punishment. "If you ever receive inappropriate images, or if someone asks you for photos, please come to me immediately. You won't get in trouble for reporting – I need to know so I can protect you and handle the situation properly."
• Address the "Everyone's Doing It" Argument: Have real statistics ready: "Actually, studies show that only about 15% of teens have sent sexual images. It might seem like everyone because those stories spread, but most of your peers aren't doing this either."
• Regular Check-Ins: Don't make this a one-time conversation. Bring up digital safety regularly in casual ways: "How are things going with your phone? Anyone bothering you online? Anything weird happening in your friend groups?"

Part 5: How Can Parents Prevent Sexting from Happening using App?

Most of our kids consider their phone their own belongings and refuse to let parents check their phones. Or they will delete the sexting messages before they hand over the phone to be examed by their parents.

What's more, as parents, it can be troublesome to browse through every message that kids send out on social media platforms. That's why we are looking for an app that can help monitor kid's messages and alert parents when suspicious content is detected.

Developed by Wondershare, FamiSafe may be the app you are looking for. It comes with the Explicit Content Detection feature to watch out for explicit words in kid's messages and 14 + social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more. It will send a notification to the parent's end if they detect suspicious words like sex, nude and more. You can even add the word you would like to monitor freely. Suppose you are worrying that your kids are taking or storing nudity pictures on their phones. FamiSafe's Suspicious Photos can help. It will monitor the kid's album and alert parents when such pictures are detected.

Why FamiSafe Works for Sexting Prevention:

Real-Time Content Monitoring: FamiSafe monitors messages across 11 social media platforms and texting apps, alerting parents when explicit language or concerning content appears. This means you can intervene during risky conversations, not after damage is done. Inappropriate Photo Detection: The app scans photos saved to your teen's device and alerts you to potentially explicit content. This catches both photos your teen might take and inappropriate images they receive from others.

Social Media Oversight: Unlike basic phone checks, FamiSafe monitors Instagram DMs, Snapchat messages, TikTok interactions, and other platforms where teen sexting commonly occurs.

Early Intervention Alerts: Instead of discovering sexting after legal consequences begin, parents get notifications when risky conversations start, allowing for immediate guidance and support.

Conclusion

Now, you know if sexting is legal or illegal? Sexting laws are tough, inconsistently enforced, and can severely impact a teen's future due to a single misjudgment. These laws, initially meant to protect children from predators, are now being used against the children themselves.

Despite this, I remain hopeful because proactive parents who educate, monitor wisely, and communicate openly can effectively safeguard their teens. Successful families navigating the digital world share common strategies: early conversations, preventive monitoring tools, and safe environments for reporting concerns.

Your teen's future is worth protecting. The digital world is more dangerous than most parents realize, but with the right approach, it's manageable. Start conversations today, understand your state's laws, and consider preventive monitoring solutions like FamiSafe.

Ankhi Bhattacharya

contributor Editor