An Austin lawmaker has introduced a bill in the Texas Senate that would modify the laws governing 鈥渟exting鈥� by minors.
State Senator Kirk Watson worked with Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott to craft the bill. It would create a series of graduated punishments for kids under 18 who transmit sexually-explicit material via cell phones.
Watson (D-Austin) says the aims to keep the law in step with technology, adding that current laws can inflict some strict penalties on minors who are convicted of sexting, including registering as a sex offender for several years, if not for life.
鈥淏ut instead of a young person, who may just make a mistake in the heat of the moment, being faced with being prosecuted under our child pornography laws, it allows for there to be a graduated approach to it, starting with a,鈥� he told KUT.
Watson adds that the bill has provisions to offer education on sexting in Texas schools. The curriculum is being developed by the at Texas State-San Marcos, working with the Attorney General鈥檚 office, so he says there wouldn鈥檛 be unfunded mandates passed on to individual districts.
