Illinois' teen sexting bill aims to educate, not criminalize

Illinois is moving forward with legislation that would educate (and punish) teenagers who forward around nude images of their peers, but not treat them as sex offenders. The bill, which has moved to Governor Pat Quinn's desk for signature, aims to take a more modern and realistic approach to teens making stupid decisions, though the door is still open for harsher punishments if needed. Under the Illinois proposal, teens who send racy images to just each other would not be punished -- only those who decide to widely distribute those images (usually as part of an attempt to blackmail or embarrass the sender). Those found guilty of sending the texts would be subject to juvenile court supervision, but wouldn't get labeled a sex offender for possessing an image of a minor, as would be appropriate under current Illinois law.