Jessica made a mistake. She texted her boyfriend a nude photo of herself. Without her consent, her boyfriend sent the picture to other students in their school. Jessica felt hurt by her boyfriend and embarrassed that other people had seen the photo. She had a hard time focusing in school afterwards. She wished she could delete all copies of the photo so it would not be a constant reminder of a bad decision.

Sending sexually explicit pictures using a cell phone is called “sexting.” A 2018 study showed that around 15 percent of teens in the U.S. had sent this kind of inappropriate image, and about 25 percent had received one. Some argue that, even though it is risky, sexting is a normal part of modern teenage behavior.

However, others point out that it is impossible to control whether these images are shared more widely. The authors of the 2018 study found that about 12 percent of teens reported having forwarded a sext without consent, and more than eight percent had a sext of theirs forwarded without consent. These images could follow people for the rest of their lives.

Teen sexting can also have legal consequences. In some states, creating, sending, receiving, and/or saving such sexually explicit images of teens can be illegal. Depending on the ages of the senders and receivers, they can be charged with disseminating child pornography. In one case, six middle school students on Cape Cod in Massachusetts faced charges for disseminating a photo showing a semi-nude schoolmate. Their parents argued that such charges would be extreme. They said that what began as a teenage mistake should not end up as a criminal charge on their sons’ permanent records. However, other people suggested that something that could be considered child pornography should be taken seriously no matter what.

It is not just teens that deal with the consequences of sexting. Anthony Weiner, a Congressman who served nearly seven terms from New York, sexted a number of women. When the photos were disseminated widely, he resigned from Congress and publicly apologized to his wife.

Who should be accountable for sexting? Is it the responsibility of the person who sent it originally, the person who received it, or anyone who shared it without consent? Should students involved in sexting be charged as criminals, or should their acts simply be seen as teenage mistakes?