Sexting Laws for Minors by State (2026)
How each state handles sexting by minors and the penalties, from each state's code.
| State | Sexting by minors |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No separate juvenile 'sexting' offense or diversion statute was found in the Code of Alabama. The private-image statute (§ 13A-6-240) applies to anyone who shares a sexually explicit image without written consent, and the child sexual abuse material laws (Title 13A, chapter 12, article 4, division 4) cover images of minors. A school law requires every local school board to adopt a written student-discipline and education policy on sharing private images and child sexual abuse material, including AI-generated explicit images. Ala. Code 1975 §§ 16-3-41, 13A-6-240 |
| Alaska | Alaska's specific statute in this area is 'sending an explicit image of a minor': distributing a photo or video of another person's genitals, anus or female breast taken when that person was under 16, with intent to annoy or humiliate them, is a class B misdemeanor when sent to another person's phone or computer and a class A misdemeanor when posted to a public website. Other image offenses (such as the child sexual abuse material statutes in AS 11.61.125 and 11.61.127) were not reviewed for any exception for minors. AS 11.61.116; AS 12.55.135 |
| Arizona | Arizona has a separate juvenile offense. A juvenile who intentionally or knowingly uses a phone or other electronic device to send or show a sexually explicit image of a minor commits a petty offense if shared with one person and a class 3 misdemeanor if shared with more than one; a juvenile who knowingly possesses such an image sent to them commits a petty offense. Possession is not a violation if the juvenile did not ask for the image and deleted it or reported it to a parent, guardian, school official or police. A violation after a prior adjudication or after completing a diversion program for this offense is a class 2 misdemeanor. A.R.S. § 8-309 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas has a separate offense for minors. A minor who purposely creates, sends, posts, shares or possesses sexually explicit digital material (a nude or sexual image of a minor) commits possession of sexually explicit digital material, a Class A misdemeanor; for a first offense the court may order 8 hours of community service. It is an affirmative defense that the minor did not ask for the image, did not share it and deleted it on receipt, or that the minor created an image of himself or herself and did not distribute it. Ark. Code § 5-27-609 |
| California | The Education Code treats 'cyber sexual bullying' (a pupil sending or urging others to send a nude, semi-nude or sexually explicit photo or video of an identifiable minor to another pupil or school staff, causing the harms listed in the bullying definition) as grounds for school suspension or expulsion. The Penal Code's ban on distributing realistic fake intimate images (Penal Code 647(j)(4)(A)(ii)) expressly does not apply to a person who was under 18 at the time. Cal. Educ. Code 48900(r)(2)(A)(iii); Cal. Penal Code 647(j)(4)(A)(ii) |
| Colorado | Colorado has separate juvenile offenses. A juvenile who sends or posts a sexually explicit image of another person (age 14 or older, or less than four years younger) without permission or when the person expected privacy, or sends an unsolicited explicit image of himself or herself that causes distress, commits posting a private image by a juvenile, a class 2 misdemeanor (class 1 if done to coerce or distress, after a prior diversion or adjudication, or involving three or more people). Possessing such an image without the depicted person's permission is a petty offense, unless the juvenile deleted it or reported it within 72 hours. Consensual exchange of self-images between juveniles is a civil infraction punished by an education program or a fine of up to $50, with no arrest warrant or jail. Being coerced is an affirmative defense. C.R.S. § 18-7-109; C.R.S. §§ 18-1.3-401, 18-1.3-501, 18-1.3-503 |
| Connecticut | Connecticut has a special, lower-level offense for teen sexting. A person under 18 who knowingly possesses a sexual image of someone under 16 that the pictured person voluntarily sent them by phone or computer, or a person under 16 who voluntarily sends a sexual image of themselves to someone under 18, commits a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,000) instead of the felony child sexual abuse material offenses. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-196h; Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 53a-35a, 53a-36, 53a-41, 53a-42 |
| Delaware | Delaware has no special minor-sexting offense or statutory diversion program. A child is anyone under 18, and the child sexual abuse material laws contain no general exception for minors who make or share images of themselves or peers. The only age-based limit is that, for images showing only partial nudity, a person can be guilty of sexual exploitation of a child or dealing in child sexual abuse material only if they are 18 or older. 11 Del. C. §§ 1100, 1108, 1109, 1110A, 1111 |
| Florida | Florida has a specific sexting law for minors. A minor who knowingly sends another minor a nude photo or video that is harmful to minors, or possesses one sent by another minor, commits a noncriminal violation for a first offense: the minor can do 8 hours of community service, pay a $60 civil penalty, or take a cyber-safety course. A second offense is a first-degree misdemeanor and a third is a third-degree felony. A minor who did not ask for the image, reported it to a parent, school or police, and did not forward it does not violate the possession rule. Images showing sexual conduct can still be prosecuted under other child-pornography laws. Fla. Stat. § 847.0141; Fla. Stat. §§ 775.082, 775.083 |
| Georgia | Georgia's child sexual exploitation law excludes a person who creates or possesses images showing only themselves. Certain offenses (including creating, distributing or possessing images of a minor) are reduced to a misdemeanor when the minor pictured was at least 14 and agreed to the image being made, the defendant was 18 or younger, and the image was either not shared or (with the court's and prosecutor's agreement) was not shared to harass, intimidate or embarrass the minor or for commercial purposes. Otherwise these offenses are felonies with 5 to 20 years in prison. O.C.G.A. § 16-12-100(d)(3), (f) |
| Hawaii | Hawaii has specific minor sexting offenses. A minor who knowingly sends a nude photo or video of themselves or another minor, or asks another minor to send one, commits promoting minor-produced sexual images in the second degree, a petty misdemeanor (up to 30 days); anyone who knowingly possesses such an image commits the same offense, with a defense for taking reasonable steps to destroy it. An adult 18 or older who asks or encourages a minor to send a nude image commits the first-degree offense, a misdemeanor (up to 1 year). Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 712-1215.5, 712-1215.6; Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 706-640, 706-659, 706-660, 706-663 |
| Idaho | Idaho has a specific minor sexting law handled in juvenile court. A minor who, without coercion, makes and sends a sexual image of themselves to a single recipient commits a misdemeanor; sending it where multiple people could see it is a misdemeanor the first time and a felony on a second adjudication. A minor who knowingly keeps such an image is guilty of a misdemeanor if the person pictured is no more than three years younger (if more than three years younger, it is charged as sexual exploitation of a child). Forwarding a received image to others is a misdemeanor, then a felony on a repeat; using or threatening to share it to coerce or embarrass the sender is a felony. Passing it to a parent, guardian or police to report it is not a crime. Idaho Code § 18-1507A |
| Illinois | Illinois has a special rule for minors: a person under 18 may not send or share an indecent visual depiction (a lewd image of unclothed or transparently clothed private parts) of another minor by computer or phone. A minor who does so can be adjudicated a 'minor in need of supervision' in juvenile court and ordered to get counseling or other services or to perform community service. The law states that it does not prevent prosecution for other offenses such as disorderly conduct, child sexual abuse material or electronic harassment. 705 ILCS 405/3-40 |
| Indiana | Indiana has a special offense for teens, 'indecent display by a youth': a person under 18 who, by phone, social media or another wireless device, makes, shares or possesses sexual images of a child 12 or older commits a Class A misdemeanor rather than the child exploitation felonies, but only if the person is no more than 4 years older than the person depicted or receiving the image, they were dating or in an ongoing personal (non-family) relationship, and the other person went along with it. The child exploitation statute also gives a defense to people under 22 in a dating or ongoing personal relationship who are within 4 years in age, when the image was shared by phone or social media with the other person's acquiescence, unless the image was passed on to others, depicts someone else, or violated a protective or no-contact order; a minor can raise this in a pretrial hearing and have charges dismissed. IC 35-45-4-6; IC 35-42-4-4(g)-(j); IC 35-50-3-2 |
| Iowa | Iowa has no statute specifically addressing teens who send or keep nude images of themselves. Since 2025, a person under 18 who knowingly distributes obscene material to another minor commits a serious misdemeanor. Other sexual images of minors fall under Iowa's sexual exploitation of a minor law, and cases involving juveniles are handled in juvenile court. Iowa Code §§ 728.2A, 728.12 |
| Kansas | Kansas has specific laws for teens. A person under 19 who knowingly transmits a nude image of an identifiable child aged 12 to 17 commits unlawful transmission of a visual depiction of a child, a class A misdemeanor (a level 10 felony on a repeat). It is aggravated - a severity level 9 felony (level 7 on a repeat) - if done to harass or embarrass, for gain, or to share with more than one person. A person under 19 who keeps a nude image of a 12- to 15-year-old sent directly by that child commits a class B misdemeanor, with a defense for those who did not ask for it, did not share it, and tried to delete it. A child who sends or keeps their own image is not covered, and the laws do not apply to sexually explicit conduct or obscenity, which fall under other crimes. K.S.A. 21-5610, 21-5611 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana has a separate 'sexting' offense for minors. A person under 17 may not knowingly send an indecent picture or video of himself or herself, and may not possess or send such an image sent by another person under 17 (or possess or spread AI-created nude images of someone to coerce or harass them). Sending one's own image (or the AI-image offense) is handled exclusively in juvenile proceedings under Title VII of the Children's Code. Possessing or forwarding another minor's image is punished by a fine of $100 to $250, up to 10 days, or both for a first offense, rising to $500-$750 and 30 days to 6 months for a third or later offense, with mandatory community service if the sentence is suspended. La. R.S. 14:81.1.1 |
| Maine | Maine has no separate sexting offense for minors. Its child sexual abuse material laws (where 'minor' means a person under 16) make it a crime to possess (Class D) or disseminate (Class C) sexual material of an identifiable minor, but each statute says it is not a violation if the depicted child is 14 or 15 years old and the person possessing or sharing the image is less than 5 years older. The statutes do not otherwise create an exception for teens. 17-A M.R.S. §§ 281(3), 283(1)(A), 284(1)(A) |
| Maryland | Maryland does not exempt minors from its child pornography laws, but for a child charged in juvenile court with distributing, displaying or possessing such images, it is a mitigating factor that the violation arose out of 'sexting' - a minor sending a sexual image of himself or herself, or receiving and keeping one - as long as the two were within 4 years of age and there was no lack of consent or coercion. In those cases the court may not order community detention or certain other dispositions without stating extraordinary circumstances on the record, may order an educational program, and a child found to have violated these laws is not subject to sex offender registration. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 3-8A-35; Crim. Law §§ 11-203, 11-207, 11-208 |
| Massachusetts | Since 2024, when a child is alleged to be delinquent for violating the child pornography or related image statutes (G.L. c. 272, §§ 29B, 29C or 29D) - the laws used for teen sexting - the juvenile court must, before arraignment, stay the case indefinitely and send the child to an educational diversion program developed by the Attorney General, unless the district attorney objects in writing and the court decides otherwise. If the child has already been arraigned, the court places the child on pretrial probation conditioned on completing the program. If the child completes the program the Attorney General reports it to the court; if not, the case returns to the docket. G.L. c. 119, § 54B; G.L. c. 12, § 36 |
| Michigan | Michigan has no separate sexting offense for minors, and its child sexually abusive material statute contains no exception or reduced penalty for minors who create, send or possess images of themselves or other minors; its listed exceptions cover only certain professionals and officials. Knowing possession of child sexually abusive material is a felony with up to 4 years and/or a $10,000 fine (up to 10 years and/or $50,000 in aggravated cases such as videos or more than 100 images). MCL 750.145c(4), (5) |
| Minnesota | Minnesota has no separate sexting offense for minors, and its child sexual abuse material statute contains no exception for minors; its only listed exceptions are for official duties of police, court personnel and attorneys, and for licensed treatment professionals. Possessing child sexual abuse material is a felony punishable by up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine (up to 10 years and/or $10,000 with aggravating factors such as a prior conviction or delinquency adjudication). Consent of the minor is not a defense. Minn. Stat. § 617.247, subds. 4, 5, 6 |
| Mississippi | No separate sexting offense or diversion rule for minors was found. The child exploitation statute bars anyone from photographing or recording a child (under 18) in sexually explicit conduct, sending or receiving such images, or possessing them, and it states no exception for minors who make or share images of themselves or peers. A first violation is a felony with 5 to 40 years and a fine of $50,000 to $500,000. Miss. Code Ann. §§ 97-5-31, 97-5-33, 97-5-35 |
| Missouri | No separate sexting offense or diversion rule for minors was found in the statutes read. Missouri's laws on creating child sexual abuse material (sexual exploitation of a minor: class B felony, class A if the minor is under 14) and on possessing it (class D felony for one still image, class B for more than 20 images or any video, or a repeat) do not state an exception for minors who send or keep images of themselves or peers. RSMo §§ 573.023, 573.037; §§ 558.011, 558.002 |
| Montana | No separate sexting offense or youth diversion rule was found in the criminal code. The sexual abuse of children statute covers photographing or recording a child in sexual conduct, distributing such images, and possessing them, and it states no exception for minors who make or share images of themselves or peers. Possession alone carries up to ten years and/or a $10,000 fine; other forms carry up to life or 100 years. MCA 45-5-625 |
| Nebraska | A person under 19 who knowingly and intentionally possesses or receives child sexual abuse material commits a Class I misdemeanor (a Class IV felony for a repeat), instead of the Class IIA felony that applies to adults 19 and older. It is an affirmative defense for a defendant under 18 if the image was voluntarily made and sent by the other child, the age difference is less than four years, it shows only one child besides the defendant, it was not shared with anyone else, and there was no coercion; a similar defense applies to an 18-year-old when the child shown is at least 15. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-1803 (formerly § 28-813.01); Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-105, § 28-106 |
| Nevada | Nevada has a minor-specific sexting law. A minor who knowingly sends a sexual image of himself or herself commits no crime on a first violation but is treated as a child in need of supervision, and a repeat is a delinquent act; sending a sexual image of another minor (who is older, the same age, or no more than four years younger) is a delinquent act. Knowingly possessing such an image is treated as a child in need of supervision, with an affirmative defense for a minor who did not seek it and promptly deleted it or reported it to police or a school official. A minor handled under this law is not treated as a sex offender and does not register. NRS 200.737 |
| New Hampshire | No separate sexting offense or exception for minors was found in the child sexual abuse images chapter. Possessing a visual representation of a child in sexually explicit conduct is a class A felony for a first offense (up to 15 years), and distributing or making such images are separate felonies; the chapter's exemptions cover only listed workers such as librarians and theater staff. RSA 649-A:3, 649-A:3-a, 649-A:4; RSA 651:2, 625:9 |
| New Jersey | When a juvenile complaint involves a juvenile creating, showing or sending a nude or sexually suggestive photo of a juvenile by phone or computer, and the court approves diversion, the resolution must include a remedial education or counseling program (or, where appropriate, a self-guided awareness program) about the legal and non-legal consequences of sharing sexually explicit images. The statute does not create a separate sexting offense. N.J.S. 2A:4A-71.1 |
| New Mexico | New Mexico has no separate sexting offense, but the sexual exploitation of children statute has a minor-to-minor exception. Possessing an obscene image of a child under 18 engaged in a prohibited sexual act is normally a fourth degree felony, but that possession ban does not apply to an image possessed by a child under 18 when the child shown is between 14 and 18 and knowingly and voluntarily consented to the possession, and either consented to its creation or produced it voluntarily without coercion. The exception does not cover images that result from coercion. Distributing such images is a separate third degree felony with no stated minor exception. NMSA 1978, § 30-6A-3(A), (B), (C) |
| New York | New York has no separate sexting offense, but its education reform program covers cases involving electronically sending or receiving obscenity or nudity when the sender and receiver were both under 20 and not more than five years apart in age. The program, run by the Office of Children and Family Services, is up to eight hours of instruction on the legal and non-legal consequences of sharing explicit images. It can be used as Family Court diversion or as a condition of an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, conditional discharge or probation. N.Y. Soc. Serv. Law § 458-l |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma has a special juvenile offense. A person under eighteen who sends or relays sexual images of a real minor by electronic media is guilty of a misdemeanor rather than a felony when: the image is of a minor over 13, sent with that minor's consent to five or fewer recipients (fine up to $500 first offense, $1,000 after, up to 40 hours of community service, a juvenile probation plan, or an education or diversion program); sent without consent or to six or more recipients (fine up to $700/$1,400, up to 60 hours of service); or the pictured minor is 13 or younger (fine up to $900/$1,800, up to 80 hours of service). It is still an offense if the sender and the pictured person are the same. Receiving an image is not punished if the minor did not ask for it and only passed it on to report it to school or police. The district attorney may instead charge the felony in 21 O.S. § 1040.13a. 10A O.S. § 2-8-221 |
| Oregon | No Oregon statute in ORS chapter 163 creates a separate, lesser offense or diversion for minors who send or possess sexual images of themselves or peers. The child sexual abuse material offenses (encouraging child sexual abuse in the first through third degrees and possession of materials depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child) contain no exception based on the age of the person who sends or possesses the image; the only listed statutory defense is not knowing the image involved a child. ORS 163.684, 163.686, 163.687, 163.689, 163.690 |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania has a special offense for minors. A minor who knowingly sends a sexually explicit image of himself or herself, or knowingly possesses or views a sexually explicit image of a minor 12 or older, commits a summary offense. A minor who sends a sexually explicit image of another minor 12 or older commits a misdemeanor of the third degree, and a minor who, to coerce, intimidate, torment, harass or cause emotional distress, makes or shares a nude image of another minor without that minor's knowledge and consent commits a misdemeanor of the second degree. The offense does not cover images of sexual acts. The judge must give first consideration to a diversionary program, which can include education, and completion leads to expungement of the summary charge; the phone or device used may be forfeited. 18 Pa.C.S. § 6321 |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island has a special 'sexting' provision. A minor (under 18) who knowingly and voluntarily, without threat or coercion, uses a phone or computer to send an indecent image or video of himself or herself to another person commits a status offense that is referred to the family court. A minor adjudicated under this section may not be charged under the child pornography statute (§ 11-9-1.3) for that conduct and is not required to register as a sex offender. R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-9-1.4 |
| South Carolina | South Carolina has no statute named sexting. Under the statute on possessing depictions of minors engaging in sexual activity (an adult felony with up to ten years), a minor charged with the offense who has no prior adjudication under that section is guilty only of a misdemeanor heard by the family court, which may order behavioral health counseling. A minor who commits sexual extortion is likewise guilty only of misdemeanor sexual extortion and is sentenced by the family court. S.C. Code §§ 16-15-390(D), 16-15-430(D) |
| South Dakota | South Dakota has a juvenile sexting offense. A minor who intentionally creates, sends, posts, exchanges or possesses, through a computer or digital media, an image of a minor nude or engaged in a prohibited sexual act commits juvenile sexting, a Class 1 misdemeanor; it is no defense that the image is of the minor charged. It is an affirmative defense that the minor did not ask for the image, did not pass it on, and deleted it within a reasonable time, or that the image is of a single minor who made it and did not send it to anyone. SDCL 26-10-33, 26-10-34, 26-10-35 |
| Tennessee | A minor who intentionally or knowingly sends, shares or posts, or knowingly possesses, a sexually explicit image of a minor using a phone or other telecommunication device commits 'illegal use of a telecommunication device by a minor,' which is treated as an unruly act in juvenile court (not a delinquent act). A minor who did not ask for the image is not guilty of possession if the minor deletes it or reports it to a parent, guardian, school or law enforcement. Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-148 |
| Texas | A minor (under 18) who electronically sends another minor a sexual image of a minor (including himself or herself), or possesses such an image produced by a minor, commits a Class C misdemeanor (fine up to $500), raised to Class B for harassing intent or a prior conviction and Class A for repeat offenses. It is a defense if the image showed only the two minors, who were dating (within two years of age) or married, and was shared only between them, or if the minor did not ask for it and destroyed it in a reasonable time. The law also covers AI-generated images of minors. Tex. Penal Code § 43.261 |
| Utah | Utah has no separate sexting offense. A minor who sends sexual material that is harmful to minors to another minor can be charged with distributing material harmful to minors: a class A misdemeanor if the sender is 16 or 17, a class B misdemeanor if under 16, and a third-degree felony with a prior adjudication. For possessing child sexual abuse material (a second-degree felony), it is an affirmative defense that the person did not ask for the image, is no more than two years older than the minor shown, and deletes or destroys all copies when asked by police or the minor. Utah Code §§ 76-5c-205(3)(d)-(e), 76-5b-201(4); Utah Code §§ 76-3-203, 76-3-204, 76-3-205, 76-3-301 |
| Vermont | A minor who knowingly and voluntarily, without coercion, sends an indecent picture of himself or herself by phone or computer violates Vermont's minor sexting law, and anyone who keeps such a picture violates it unless the person took reasonable steps to delete it. A minor's first violation is handled in family court as a juvenile delinquency case and may go to diversion; it cannot be prosecuted as child sexual exploitation and does not require sex-offender registration, and the record is expunged at 18. A repeat may be prosecuted under the sexual-exploitation chapter (still without registration). An adult who keeps such a picture faces up to 6 months and/or $300. 13 V.S.A. § 2802b |
| Washington | Washington has separate, lower-level crimes for minors. A person under 18 who knowingly shares a sexually explicit image of another minor 13 or older commits 'minor dealing in depictions' in the first degree, a gross misdemeanor, or second degree, a misdemeanor, depending on the content; sharing images of a child 12 or younger, or financing or selling images of another minor, is a class B felony. A minor who sells an image of himself or herself commits a misdemeanor, and the law does not apply to minors who create, share or possess images of only themselves (other than selling). RCW 9.68A.053; RCW 9A.20.021 |
| West Virginia | A minor who intentionally creates, possesses or shares a sexual image of another minor, or sends one of himself or herself, commits an act of juvenile delinquency handled in juvenile court, and the adjudication does not require sex-offender registration. It is a defense to possession that the minor neither asked for the image nor passed it on. The court or prosecutor may send the minor to an educational diversion program; for a first offense with no prior delinquency, completing it means the minor is not subject to the sexting section's requirements. W. Va. Code §§ 61-8C-3b, 49-4-717 |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin has no separate sexting offense for minors. Possessing, accessing or showing a recording of a child (under 18) engaged in sexually explicit conduct is a Class D felony for an adult, but a Class I felony (up to 3.5 years and/or $10,000) if the offender is under 18. Soliciting an intimate or private image from someone under 18 is a Class I felony for an adult, a Class A misdemeanor for an 18-20-year-old soliciting a child no more than 3 years younger, and that offense does not apply to solicitors who are under 18. Offenders under 17 are generally handled in juvenile court under the juvenile justice code. Wis. Stat. §§ 948.12(3), 942.09(4); Wis. Stat. §§ 939.50, 939.51 |
| Wyoming | Wyoming has no special sexting offense or diversion statute for minors. The child sexual exploitation law makes it a felony for anyone to create, distribute or possess a sexual image of a person under 18 (production or distribution: 5-12 years; possession: up to 10 years), and the statute has no exception for minors sharing images of themselves or peers. The intimate-image dissemination crime applies only to offenders 18 or older. Cases involving minors may be handled in juvenile court, but no sexting-specific rule was found. W.S. 6-4-303, 6-4-306(b) |
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.