ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Teens could be exempted from Maryland’s child pornography laws in certain cases if the General Assembly passes any one of four differing bills filed this session. Lawmakers want to decriminalize teen “sexting,” a practice that arose with the mass adoption of smartphones and that experts say is fairly common among teenagers. But...Read More

JERSEY SHORE — Two Lycoming County men, one of whom police say is designated a sexually violent predator, have been charged in a child predator sting. Jeffrey Scott Spong, 50, and Jacob Scott Hollick, 33, both of Jersey Shore area, were arrested Monday in what state police called an operation aimed at identifying those involved...Read More

Sexting is known as the sharing of sexually explicit images and videos through the internet or via electronic devices such as smartphones. One in seven teens report that they are sending sexts, and one in four are receiving sexts, according to our study of over 110,000 teens from around the world published today, Monday Feb....Read More

June 28, 2019Updated June 30, 2019, 7:07 p.m. ET Sexting is bad. Right? It’s certainly never tied to any good headline. But University of Texas Medical Branch researchers say that when older teens are sexting – sharing sexually explicit pictures and videos over mobile phones – it may simply be a healthy part of growing up.    In...Read More

The way Australians consume news has been changing for the past 30 years, ever since internet use became widespread. Long gone are the days when families routinely shared bits of the newspaper over breakfast, or crowded around the 6 o’clock television news at night. Since 2017, we have been tracking young people’s media engagement, to...Read More

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Financial sextortion targeting children is on the rise in Tennessee, and law enforcement says families need to act now. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025 — an average of 137 reports per day. That figure represents a significant...Read More

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – A Tampa man faces 103 charges after the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said investigators found more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material on devices during a search of his apartment. The sheriff’s office said its Internet Predator Unit received a tip that child sexual abuse material, also known as...Read More

Richard DePalma is the acting commissioner of the Long Beach Police Department. He’s spent nearly three decades serving in law enforcement — including 24 years in Long Beach. With the 2026-27 school year set to begin on Sept. 3, DePalma, who has three children, wished parents and students a safe and healthy school year, while...Read More

With the new school year underway, Sacramento officials are stepping up efforts to improve traffic safety around school zones. The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), Caltrans, California Highway Patrol (CHP), Sacramento Police Department and the City of Sacramento recently launched the “ABC for Safety” campaign along Marysville Boulevard in North Sacramento. The campaign aims...Read More

ORLANDO, Fla. – Forty registered sex offenders and predators were arrested during a three-day Flagler County enforcement operation that resulted in 168 felony registration violation charges, authorities said. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Department of Corrections for “Operation Offenders: Endgame,” which ran from Aug. 25...Read More