Legislation on Sexting?

Yesterday in the Texas state legislature, a proposal was introduced that would punish PARENTS if their kids get caught “sexting.”  Generally this refers to the practice of  using cell phones or computers to send sexually explicit messages or images of themselves or others.

Under the bill, sexting would be a class C misdemeanor.  Any teenager who gets caught would have to go to court, along with their parents.  The parents could get sentenced to a family education program.  As for the kid, he or she would also be sent to that education program.

Under current Texas law, the kid would be looking at potential charges of trafficking child pornography, which could land them in jail and they would become a registered sex offender.   The proposed bill  is similar to recent legislation in other states that seeks to ease sexting penalties and prevent young people from getting caught up in the criminal system.

State Senator Kirk Watson, who’s a Democrat, proposed the bill, and Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, who’s a Republican, supports it.  There’s no word on when the legislature could vote on the bill. 

You can read the full story in The Houston Chronicle here: Source

What do you think?…Is the current law too harsh?  Would this new legislation be the right way to deal with the issue of Teen Sexting?  Should parents be punished for their kids behavior?

Here’s the conversation from this morning.

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