A group of lawmakers is exploring protecting teens who send sexually explicit photos by cell phone — commonly called ‘sexting’– from being charged under New Hampshire’s child pornography laws.
A House Criminal Justice and Public Safety subcommittee wants to carve out an exception for youths who send the photos to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Subcommittee Chairman Stanley Stevens, a Wolfeboro Republican, said Tuesday that lawmakers don’t want the youths labeled as sex offenders because they possess a sexually explicit photo as part of a romantic relationship. The protections would only apply to youths whose age difference is four years or less.
Stevens said teens who distribute the photos to others or post them on the Internet would not be protected.