Sexting and Canadian Law
The legal definition of sexting is the sending of digital messages containing suggestive, provocative or explicit sexual photographs. It is important to familiarize oneself with what is considers sexting and what the laws are in Canada.
For adults, consensually exchanging nude photos electronically is, under most circumstances, a legal activity. However, the creation and sending of sexual photos of people under the age of 18 breaks Canada’s child pornography laws.
The primary objective of this law is to protect children and teens under the age of 18 from being exploited and harmed by adults through the creation and distribution of child pornography. However, it is still a criminal offense for teens to take or share photos of one another.
A teenager sending sexually explicit photographs of themselves, or of their friends or partners, can be charged with distribution of child pornography and those who receive the images can be charged with possession of child pornography.
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