Australian Study Says Child Pornography Laws for Sexting too Harsh on Teens

A new study suggests that the current child pornography laws, which make it illegal for teenagers to share revealing images of themselves on cell phones, are ‘too harsh’ and need amending.

A study led by the University of NSW has found young people are surprised by the legal penalties for sexting, and don't consider all naked or semi-naked pictures as inherently shameful.

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According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the study on sexting focused on 16-to-17-year-olds who are over the age of sexual consent, but could face charges for texting photos or video considered to be child pornography by law.

Dr Kath Albury, from UNSW's Journalism and Media Research Centre, said the study found laws need to be updated to take into account the popularity of sexting among young people.

Dr Albury said all Australian jurisdictions need clear guidelines stating child pornography laws do not apply to consensual images shared between young people.

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She said it is presumed the laws apply to people over 18 who are paedophiles looking at child porn images, the report said.

Dr Albury said the laws were not designed to apply to peers consensually sharing images of each other.

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Confusion around current laws was deterring some young people from reporting threatening or unethical behaviour, she said.

According to the report, the study found young people were offended by the adult tendency to bundle all naked or partially naked user-generated pictures into the category of sexting.

It also found adults wanted clearer legal guidelines on sexting and help in understanding and responding to young people's use of digital technologies in forming friendships and relationships, the report added.

Source-ANI