The Virginia Senate has passed a bill that would reduce charges for teens facing criminal charges for “sexting”. The bill’s sponsor, Virginia Senator Scott Surovell, acknowledges that exchanging explicit photos is a common practice among high school students and says, “We don’t want to make every kid in the school a felon.”
Unfortunately, it appears that Surovell, who started out with the right idea, is comfortable making every kid in the school (or, at least, the significant percentage who admit to exchanging sexually explicit photos) a criminal, so long as that crime is a misdemeanor.
The bill is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t decriminalize sexting between similar-age teens. It only allows the prosecutor the option of charging teen defendants with a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Teens “sexting” with other teens could still face felony charges, and could still be required to register as sex offenders.
Teens Could Avoid Felony Charges for “Sexting”: Senate Passes Bill