The crime would be punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine, or both, to display such pictures "on an Internet web site containing obscene material."
The measure was written by Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita.
"It came to our attention that people were attending high school water polo matches and swim meets, taking pictures of the athletes and then selling them to adult websites," Smyth told XBIZ. "They were being posted next to real hardcore images. There was nothing to blur out the images of the athletes. They were easily identifiable. There was nothing that could be done legally to get the images of these minors off the websites. That was the impetus for the bill."
The bill would not bar photographers from sharing pictures of teens taken at public events on websites featuring high school sports news or community events.
The measure, AB2104, passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on a unanimous vote.
It will next be heard in the Appropriations Committee, which should happen within a month.
