Your child -- a registered sex offender?

I would love to think that 'sexting' was only a theoretical issue in my family , but with two teens in the phone-zone, I can't make any promises that one of them hasn't sent off a racy snapshot or two (after all, 22% of teens say they have...).

But I bet they didn't think they'd have to register as sex offenders if the police ever got hold of one of their sexts. Right now, sexting is a crime and kids can be prosecuted for distribution of pornography. And if a person is convicted of a sex crime, they have to register as a sex offender which will haunt them for years (talk about your permanent record...).

In Vermont, there is a movement to decriminalize sexting. We agree that kids shouldn't be prosecuted for essentially doing something really stupid. But we do believe it's up to parents to educate their teens about this really risky practice. Kids should know that anything they send can be redistributed in an instant to anyone and could result in tremendous humiliation and pain.