Technology has vastly improved our lives all while simultaneously making them more convoluted and messy. Technology has increased our ability to travel and learn things with the tap of a finger, but it has also changed the way that we handle conversations. Moreover, it has changed the way we engage with relationships. For example, before technology, there was no such thing as internet dating. You would have to find someone a the local watering hole or someone who was into the same activity as you. There were no opportunities to find “meet-ups” or enter Facebook pages that instantly connect you with people who are interested in the same thing. Let’s not forget sources like Instagram or Twitter where people can shape the persona they want you to see.
Our children are growing up in this technological environment where pictures and selfies mean more than actually holding a conversation. Our teens are exchanging emojis to and from instead of engaging in more traditional style conversations. Maybe we are all getting too old, but behind the ingenuity that is a cell phone, there are lewd behaviors that may be normalized socially, but legally they can ruin your child’s life.
Legally, our government does all it can to protect those who are of minor or tender years. However, the new trend for young folks is to take sexual pictures of themselves and send them to each other. This is called sexting. Sexting is a very adult thing to do yet children and teens are doing it as a norm in the dating realm. Unfortunately, what these teens or children may not understand is that these pictures can be easily found and spread to viewers who were not intended to see the pictures.
Regardless of the person receiving and taking the pictures is a minor, any sexually explicit photograph of a minor is illegal. If your child is caught with sexually explicit photos on their phone or devices then they can be charged with a Sex Crime of child pornography which is a felony. Having a felony on your record means that your child is looking at being inhibited from certain careers, living independently, potentially ripped of some constitutional rights, and weight carried behind them through the rest of their lives. This is why it is so important to talk with your children and teenagers about not sexting.
We all know that teenagers have a mind of their own. They do the opposite of everything you say and now they have to deal with the consequences. Unfortunately, the courts in California take Sexting Crimes very seriously and will do what they can to set an example. Our Los Angeles sex crime defense attorney at Okabe & Haushalter is here to help you and your child. Call 310-543-7708 or click here to speak with our professional attorneys today. Choosing us is the difference between having a future tainted with a felony or learning a hard lesson, but being able to move on.
