Can Sexting Lead to Mandatory Sex Offender Registration?

Three Washington state teenagers are facing criminal charges for "sexting," the crime of sending, receiving, or disseminating sexually suggestive images via text message or email. If convicted of the charges, the middle school-age teenagers could be ordered to register as sex offenders for life.

The three teens were charged for sexting a nude photo a classmate around their middle school. The victim allegedly took the nude photo of herself and emailed it to her boyfriend. When she and the boyfriend broke up he supposedly texted the photo to other students.

It's important for all teenagers and their parents to realize that sexting charges are incredibly serious. Disseminating nude images of a person under the age of 18 is considered distribution of child pornography, even if the person disseminating the images is a minor themselves. And with child pornography charges comes mandatory sentencing guidelines, which include imprisonment and mandatory registration as a sex offender.

If your son or daughter has been accused of sexting, it's important to consult an attorney who has experience in this new area of criminal law. At Okabe & Haushalter, we focus a large majority of our practice on sex crimes defense, and have the experience, skills, and resources to provide your child with the effective and aggressive defense he or she needs. If you're interested in scheduling a consultation with a  Los Angeles child pornography defense lawyer to discuss your child's sexting charges,  contact Okabe & Haushalter today at (310) 543-7703.