ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses three ways in which consent is erased from the popular discussions about sexting: the criminalisation of sexting, gender disparities in discussions about sexting, and the promotion of sexting abstinence. To contextualise the problems in mass media representations of sexting, it is important to remember that many Western cultures have a long history of media-driven moral panics about teen girls and sexuality. The criminalisation of sexting also likely has a disproportionate impact on the same people who are already targeted by the criminal justice system because parents and law enforcement can decide which incidents to ignore and which to prosecute. The solution to sexting many schools and national public service announcements offer is abstinence. Laws need to change in order to prevent the criminalisation of consensual sexters and to better address the harm that is created through privacy violations.
