Is sexting a crime you should worry about if you’re a minor? Can someone accuse you of doing something wrong just because you wrote it in a text or email? The fact is that even sexting can be criminalized, and if you interact with a minor or send threatening or harassing messages, those messages could result in a charge.
Sexting does not just involve text; sexting is the act of sending lewd material via images or suggestive texts to another person. It can be difficult to know who is on the other side of the texts, especially if you are only dating online or have not met the other party.
Sending images to a minor, even if you do not know it is a minor, can result in you being charged with a child pornography crime in Maryland. Prosecutors tend to have discretion in those cases, though and could choose not to bring the charges against you if there is a lack of evidence against you.
Even minors can get into trouble for sexting; technically, no matter your age, sending a lewd message to a minor is illegal. On the other hand, sending images to an adult is an issue, too. Minors cannot give consent, so if they willingly send images to an adult, that adult can still be charged with a crime.
In some jurisdictions, sexting has been decriminalized when an image is being sent from one minor to another. However, in others, this is still a crime that can end up tarnishing a minor’s record and even landing them on a sex offender registry.
If you find yourself accused of sexting crimes or other sexual offense, please contact the Law Offices of James E. Crawford & Associates for a free initial consultation. These are serious charges and you need professional, competent lawyers in your corner to help decipher your next step moving forward.