Arizona Laws on Sexting by Teens and Minors

Arizona has enacted legislation to specifically address sexting by teenagers younger than 18. This teen sexting law allows younger teens to avoid a felony record. But, like most other states, Arizona teens aged 18 and 19 are considered adults. If an 18- or 19-year-old sexts with a minor, they can face adult charges and penalties.

What Is Sexting?

Sending nude, sexual, or otherwise explicit images via smartphone, through internet messaging, or by similar means is commonly known as sexting. Especially common among teenagers, sexting can easily be used to bully or harass others.

Is Sexting a Crime in Arizona?

Sexting between consenting adults (including teens age 18 and 19) is legal, as long as the images aren't of minors.

Adults who sext images of minors or sext with a minor can face serious charges for sexual exploitation of a child or furnishing harmful materials to a minor. Sexting by juveniles (those younger than 18) is also prohibited but carries penalties for petty offenses and misdemeanors.

What Are the Penalties for Teen Sexting in Arizona?

Arizona's juvenile sexting law applies only to acts committed by minors younger than 18. The law makes it a crime to use electronic communication devices to send or exchange images of minors that depict explicit sexual material. The definition of "explicit sexual material" includes material that shows human genitalia or nudity, sexual activity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse.

Teen Sexting Offenses

The penalties for teen sexting in Arizona range from a petty offense to a class 2 misdemeanor.

Sending sexts. A juvenile who knowingly uses an electronic communication device to send or display a sexually explicit image of a minor (including a selfie) commits a petty offense. The penalty increases to a class 3 misdemeanor if the juvenile sent the image to multiple individuals.

Receiving or possessing sexts. The same statute penalizes the juvenile who received the sext. The penalty is a petty offense, but there's no violation if the juvenile did not ask for the image and took reasonable steps to destroy the image or report it to a parent, guardian, teacher, or police officer.

Penalties for Teen Sexting

A petty offense is a fine-only offense with the maximum fine being $300. A class 3 misdemeanor carries a possible sentence of 30 days' detention and $500 in fines, and a class 2 misdemeanor carries a possible sentence of up to four months' detention and $750 in fines.

For repeat violations of the juvenile sexting law, the penalty increases to a class 2 misdemeanor. A juvenile commits a repeat violation when they have a prior adjudication (the equivalent to a conviction in adult court) or prior record of completing a diversion program (an alternative disposition that avoids a delinquency record).

(Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 8-201, 8-309, 8-341, 13-707, 13-802, 13-3551 (2025).)

What Are the Penalties for Sexting With a Minor in Arizona?

Teens who are 18 or 19 don't qualify for the reduced penalties listed above. They are subject to the same crimes and penalties as other adults. Exchanging sexts with a minor can be a felony.

Receiving a Sext From a Minor

Receiving a sext from a minor can result in sexual exploitation charges. A person commits sexual exploitation of a minor by knowingly creating, sending, possessing, or exchanging (including electronically) any image of a minor engaged in exploitive exhibition or other sexual conduct. Exploitive exhibition means the showing of the genitals or pubic or rectal areas of a person for the purpose of sexual stimulation.

The penalty for this crime depends on the age of the minor. Sexual exploitation of a minor age 15 or older is a class 2 felony punishable by up to 12.5 years in prison. Sexual exploitation of a minor younger than 15 triggers a sentencing enhancement for dangerous crimes against children. Under this enhancement, the maximum sentence increases to 24 years. A judge can also impose fines of up to $150,000 for any felony.

(Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 13-702, 13-705, 13-801, 13-3551, 13-3553 (2025).)

Sexting Images to a Minor

An adult who sexts their own image to a minor could face charges for furnishing harmful materials to a minor. Under this law, it's a class 4 felony to electronically transmit an image depicting nudity, sexual activity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement to a minor. A conviction can mean up to three years in prison and a $150,000 fine.

(Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 13-3501, 13-3506.01 (2025).)

Will Arizona Teens Face Sexting Charges in Juvenile or Adult Court?

Sexting cases involving offenses committed by a teen younger than 18 are typically handled in juvenile court rather than adult court. In juvenile court, judges can often exercise greater discretion in sentencing, including ordering treatment, curfews, monitoring, and community service.

Teens who commit offenses when they are 18 or 19 will face adult criminal charges and penalties, including possible jail or prison time.

(Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-501 (2025).)

Can a Sexting Conviction Result in Sex Offender Registration in Arizona?

Adults convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor must register as a sex offender under Arizona law. A court may require sex offender registration for a juvenile adjudicated of the same offense. A juvenile's duty to register ends at age 25, but the court may terminate sex offender registration earlier upon the juvenile's successful completion of probation. Furnishing harmful materials to a minor is not a registrable offense.

Juveniles do not have to register for a petty or misdemeanor offense under the juvenile sexting law.

(Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-3821 (2025).)

Getting More Legal Help

Sexting in Arizona can have serious ramifications for a teenager or an adult. If you're facing criminal charges or an investigation, talk to a criminal defense attorney or ask for a public defender as soon as possible.