Arkansas Sexting Laws for Teens and Minors

Arkansas 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, Arkansas 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 Arkansas?

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 child pornography or sexual exploitation of a child. Sexting by juveniles (those younger than 18) is also prohibited but carries misdemeanor penalties.

What Are the Penalties for Teen Sexting in Arkansas?

Arkansas's juvenile sexting law applies only to acts committed by minors younger than 18. The law makes it a crime to purposely create, exchange, share, or possess a sexually explicit digital image of a minor through a computer or wireless device. A "sexually explicit digital material" means any photograph, digital image, or visual depiction of a minor in a state of nudity or involved in a sexual act.

Penalties for Teen Sexting

A violation of the law results in a Class A misdemeanor. For a first offense, the court may order the minor to complete eight hours of community service. Otherwise, a Class A misdemeanor can be punished by a fine of up to $2,500 and a maximum period of one year of confinement. A violation is handled in juvenile court.

Defenses to Teen Sexting Charges

The statute allows two affirmative defenses. Under the first defense, a minor won't be convicted if the minor did not seek the image, did not subsequently distribute the image, and deleted or destroyed the image upon receipt. A minor also has a defense if the image was a selfie that the minor did not distribute.

(Ark. Code §§ 5-25-101, 5-27-609, 9-27-318 (2025).)

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

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 or misdemeanor.

Receiving a Sext From a Minor

Receiving or soliciting a sext from a minor could result in child pornography or sexual exploitation charges. These laws prohibit creating, exchanging, possessing, or distributing images depicting a child engaged in "sexually explicit conduct." Sexually explicit conduct includes actual or simulated sexual intercourse, masturbation, or the lewd exhibition of any person's genitals or pubic area or of a female breast.

Any person who knowingly exchanges, receives, solicits, possesses, views, or distributes a sexually explicit image knowing it depicts a child (younger than 18) can be charged with a Class C felony. A subsequent offense is a Class B felony. These laws would apply to adult teens (18 or 19) who receive or ask for a sext from an underage dating partner, even if it's consensual.

Class B felonies carry prison sentences of 5 to 20 years, and class C felonies are punishable by 3 to 10 years of prison time. Possible fines range from $10,000 to $15,000.

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 A misdemeanor to electronically transmit an image depicting nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement to a minor. A conviction can mean up to a year of jail time and a $2,500 fine.

(Ark. Code. §§ 5-4-201, 5-4-401, 5-27-212, 5-27-302, 5-27-304, 5-27-601, 5-27-602, 5-27-605 (2025).)

Will Arkansas 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.

(Ark. Code § 9-27-302 (2025).)

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

An adult or minor tried as an adult must register as a sex offender if convicted of one of the felony child pornography or sexual exploitation crimes listed above. Furnishing harmful materials to a minor is not a registrable offense.

A minor adjudicated delinquent (similar to a conviction in criminal court) for misdemeanor teen sexting does not have to register as a sex offender.

(Ark. Code §§ 9-27-356; 12-12-903 (2025).)

Getting More Legal Help

Sexting in Arkansas can have serious ramifications for a teenager or an adult. If you have been charged with a crime, approached by investigators, or believe you might have done something illegal, you should speak to an Arkansas criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.