Montgomery County DA’s office warns of teen sexting dangers

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Did you know that there is no exception for teens who willingly take or distribute sexually explicit photos of themselves? The Montgomery County district attorney’s office says anyone found sending or receiving inappropriate images of a minor — including images of the sender — could be prosecuted under the state’s child pornography law.

Deputy District Attorney Marianalyn Coleman says parents must have conversations with their children about the legal consequences of sexting.

“If that person or that image, that person in that video is under 18 years old, they are possessing child porn. And sometimes the sender can be in trouble, even if they’re sending it to someone who’s in their same age bracket or high school student, they can be in trouble for having it and sending it out. The person that gets the photo then is in trouble for having it because they’re in possession of child pornography,” she said.

Coleman says parents need to ask their child if they know what sexting is. She also says to look at your child’s phone. If you see something inappropriate, contact police.

Sign up for the WSFA Newsletter and get the latest local news and breaking alerts in your email!

Copyright 2022 WSFA. All rights reserved.