Sexting Among Teens To Be Banned In West Virginia

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.– A new law passed this month in West Virginia will soon make it illegal for kids and teenagers to “sext,” or send sexually explicit text messages to each other. Sexting is already illegal between an adult and a minor.

Minors who are caught sexting will have to go through an “educational diversion” program to teach them about the consequences of sexting. After completing the program, charges would be dropped from their record.

The program is “basically providing them with some type of an education to tell them, ‘Hey, this is wrong, this is bad for your future, there's consequences,’” West Virginia State Police Corporal Robert Boggs said.

Boggs works with Marshall University’s Forensic Science Center and deals with mobile devices and smart phones that are confiscated for sexting. It’s important for people to remember, Boggs said, that sexting technically involves child pornography.

“Really what you’re doing when you hand one of these [smartphones] to a kid, you're giving them a wide open gate to the entire world, and the world to them,” Boggs said.

Local school officials say this is the first time there have been clear consequences for teens caught sexting each other.

West Virginia is the first of the three states in our region to ban sexting among minors. The law will go into effect in July.