Revenge Porn
Revenge porn is a real thing, and if you are a parent, you need to know about this. You also will want to talk with your adult child about this, as it could get them in trouble. In the 21st century, sexting is a common way for young people to communicate. Sending scandalous or nude photos or videos is not unusual, especially within a relationship. But what happens when that relationship ends abruptly? Insert: revenge porn.
For a developing brain standpoint, impulsivity reigns true after a painful breakup. Whether it was someone’s first true love, or the person they lost their virginity with, the infatuation of that relationship can be intoxicating. More importantly, the desperation of reconciliation after a broken heart can include doing things a young person will quickly regret.
Is Revenge Porn Legal?
If their partner cheated on them, revenge could help ease the broken heart if only temporarily. To make oneself feel better, there have been far too many revenge porn posts to showcase how unworthy their now-ex is. And depending on when and how this is blasted, a young adult could be looking at some serious legal consequences. If your child did this impulsively and you do not yet have an attorney, you will want to immediately remedy that. Especially if this was done on a college campus, it is prudent that your young adult not say a word. What they posted online cannot be deleted and yet, if they wait to speak until they have legal representation, there is a chance that the legal hammer will not come down quite so hard.
To ensure the reader understands the definition of revenge porn, let me clarify. This is the sharing of explicit content without the consent of the owner. This could be sent via text within a group chat or it could be posted on social media for the world to see. Due to the highly sensitive nature of this as well as the frequency of these cases, nearly all 50 states in the US now have their own revenge porn laws. Not familiar with what the law is in your state or the state where your college student resides? It is time to educate yourself.
It gets worse if your adult child is 18 and was dating someone under the age of 18. If that under-18-year-old was the one who originally sent the explicit material, and your legal adult shares it without their consent, that is child pornography. It does not matter if it was consensual within that state for their relationship to happen, as they are now not an item. That’s quite the legal consequence to naturally deal with after sending out revenge porn as a way to feel better about the breakup.
If this is your adult child right now, you need a hire a professional to help them learn to be less impulsive and to understand healthier relationships. This is not something you will want to sit back and wait for them to grow up about. If anything, it will be several more years before their brain fully develops and at that point, they might have done even more impulsive things!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
