573.040. Furnishing pornographic materials to minors — penalty.
It’s a crime to give pornographic material to minors — even online.
This law makes it illegal to give, show, or send pornographic material to someone under 18. It also applies if you recklessly ignore the possibility the person is a minor or if you’re caught in a sting operation.
1. A person commits furnishing pornographic materials to minors if they know the material is pornographic for minors and:
- (1) Give or send the material to someone they know is a minor or who they should have realized is a minor;
- (2) Take part in a pornographic performance that’s shown to a minor, knowing or ignoring the fact that a minor is watching;
- (3) Share or make available any pornographic material for minors through a computer, the internet, or a digital network, and send it to someone they know is a minor.
2. It is not a valid defense to say the minor was actually a police officer posing undercover.
3. This offense is:
- A class A misdemeanor for a first-time offender;
- A class E felony if the person has a past conviction for a sex-related or child exploitation crime.
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