SACRAMENTO, CA - A bill proposed in the California Assembly would mandate counseling and community service for teens who maliciously distribute sexted pictures.
AB 321 is receiving strong bipartisan support, garnering a unanimous, bipartisan vote in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday.
"At the end of the day, the goal is to protect children, increase awareness and to make our educational communities a safer place for children," bill sponsor Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, (D) West Covina, said.
Hernandez cites studies showing an estimated one in five teens between 13 and 19 have sent or posted nude pictures of themselves. He said they run the risk that someone will post the pictures on the internet, often reaching thousands of unintended viewers.
Hernandez said teens can suffer public humiliation that's even led to several suicides.
As she waited for a light rail train in Sacramento, teenager Rashaun Steiner said she has friends who've suffered embarrassment by having their pictures spread by boyfriends and others.
She supports the bill.
"I think it would be good because if you go to a class about it, you can see how many other people it happens to and what can actually happen when people forward those pictures," Steiner said.
The bill also allows a school district to provide instruction on the risks and consequences of sexting or sharing sexually suggestive materials digitally.
News10/KXTV