By Donna Rice Hughes
Teen Vogue is taking full advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by promoting the risky and potentially illegal activity of sexting to its underage readers who are using the Internet now more than ever for school and play while hunkered down at home. When youth send or post explicit or nude pictures or videos of themselves to others via cellphones, computers or social media, they may be liable under both state and federal child pornography laws.
Teen Vogue recently publicized its “sexting” articles on Snapchat’s Discover Feature posting photos including: “Sexting should make you feel good,” and “How to Sext: The Best Tips and Tricks.” In its “Dating and the Coronavirus” article, which accompanied the photos, author Nona Willis Aronowitz stated, “There are all kinds of creative, fun ways to sext, if you’re at that level.”
The articles were promoted at the same time the FBI issued a warning that school closings due to COVID-19 present a potential for increased risk of child exploitation. In January, the Internet Watch Foundation reported that self-generated imagery now accounts for almost a third of web pages featuring sexual images of children that they take down, and more than a third of those images feature 11- to 13-year-old children, of which the majority is girls.