SCHOOLS in the Southern Highlands may be under investigation for incidents of 'sexting'.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hume Local Area Command police officers have responded to reports of it in some schools in the region.
Hume LAC senior constable Gary Mutton said the police declined to comment on or name particular schools.
The Hume LAC encompasses the Wingecarribbee, Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan and Yass Valley council shires.
Sexting is the use of online or mobile media technologies to share explicit pictures, with or without consent.
Although New South Wales' law permits consensual sexting from age 16, an overarching national law bans it until age 18.
As such, sexting is a crime when it involves children (under 18) or anyone of any age who sexts without consent or to harrass.
This includes images of genitals covered by underwear, or exposed while dressing, toileting, bathing, or during intercourse.
Sexting of or between children can constitute child pornography, regardless of whether it's a real or digitally altered picture or video.
The offence is committed if someone asks for, or takes, or receives and keeps, or sends/posts an explicit image of a minor.
Maximum penalties for criminal sexting can include jail time and/or sex offender registration, even for minors.
The Hume LAC has powers to seize any media devices used in criminal sexting as part of investigations.