Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The North Rhine-Westphalian media supervisory authority warns young people against sexting, i.e. the exchange of erotic content via smartphone. Young people can be prosecuted for sending naked pictures. Most of them are not even aware of this, the media agency said on Tuesday.
For many young people, sexting is now part of discovering their own sexuality. This could constitute the offense of distributing, possessing or acquiring youth pornography. Media watchdogs warn that more than 40 percent of the suspects targeted by investigators are now minors and the numbers are rising rapidly.
With a nationwide campaign, the authority is now warning young people between the ages of 14 and 17 on more than 1,500 billboards. In addition to the posters and a website, more than 300 youth work facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia will be provided with a campaign poster set.
Posters are also offered free of charge to all secondary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example for use in the classroom. There has been a lot of criticism of the recently tightened law on child and youth pornography. Experts warn the law would criminalize young people and even victims of harassment.