Technology is changing the world. And, as Michael Pope reports, lawmakers in Richmond are struggling to keep up.
Teenagers call it sexting, sending explicit images of themselves or others using smart phones. It’s a dumb idea because it’s a felony. That’s why senators are considering a bill that would change it from a felony to the misdemeanor for minors. Republican Senator Amanda Chase of Chesterfield County says kids are kids.
“I have three boys and they like to play practical jokes on each other and get each other’s reactions and throwing ice over the shower and snapping a picture to get their reaction is something my boys would probably do.”
But Democratic Senator Chap Petersen of Fairfax City worries about the unintended consequences.
“We’re creating a new statute here with extremely broad criteria for why we can charge somebody with a crime, not to intimidate someone another person but simply to transmit a sexually explicit image.”
Petersen was one of five senators who voted against the bill, which passed with an overwhelming vote. Now it heads to the House, which will consider it in the next few weeks.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
