I love Snapchat. It’s so much fun. Ever since I learned about the stories, thought about how I could use them in mine and my clients’ businesses, and connected with some really cool and creative people, Snapchat has almost caught up to twitter as my favorite social network. 

I received a shout out the other day from another snapper and got a bunch of new followers. That’s fun. Getting to know knew people on any social platform helps me to achieve my personal goal of being able to have coffee with a friend anywhere in the world. 

I have my settings set to where anyone can send me a private snap. Normally, that’s not a problem. Until it is. Until is’a penis lying in my inbox. 

I get a lot of kids, under 18, trying to flirt with me, telling me I’m beautiful. That’s kinda funny and I tell them to think of me as beautiful like their mom or their grandma. But the penises…

So this morning, instead of the fully exposed penis of yesterday, I got this message:

At least he asked, right?

So then I start thinking. Maybe I’m over thinking this but I’d rather overthink it and be protected than to under think it and be in jail. Coming to my big question:

If I open an unsolicted photo of a child’s penis, can I be considered a pedophile?”

It’s pretty easy to guess that some of these kids are under 18. I don’t want to see any penises but the age of the sender and my opening of the snap without knowing what it contains makes me wonder. 

So younger, hipper lawyers than the one in my family who doesn’t know social media, what is the answer to this? Should I be doing a better job of protecting myself from unsolicited porn? Where in the legal realm exactly does this fall?

I’ll be waiting patiently for your answers with my “Who can send me snaps” moved to “my friends”.