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Teens 17 years old or younger now face a misdemeanor charge rather than a felony if they are caught sending sexually explicit images of themselves or others over their cell phones.

Under current law, it is a felony to possess or traffic child pornography.

The bill's author, Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, says the bill is meant to update the law to reflect current technology.

“We're not prosecuting kids who make a dumb mistake as child pornographers,” Watson said.

However, criminal defense attorney Jodi Callaway said children caught "sexting" shouldn't be criminalized at all.

"Sexting is considered childish and immature behavior and it's been criminalized and I feel that's an inappropriate venue to address this matter," she said.

If signed into law by the governor, sexting by minors would be a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a $500 fine.

Children who receive a text and delete it without passing it on are also protected in the bill.