When a 14-year-old texts her 15-year-old boyfriend a topless photo of herself, she could be sending him to prison for five years and labeling him a sex offender for life.

Under current Arizona law, "sexting" among juveniles could qualify as felony sexual exploitation of a minor. It doesn't matter that the recipient of the photo also is a juvenile, or that the juvenile in the photo sent it.

But a bill working its way through the state Legislature could make Arizona the seventh state in the nation to make sexting between juveniles a misdemeanor.

Senate Bill 1266 proposes to make it a misdemeanor for a juvenile to use a computer or cellphone to send or possess "explicit sexual material" of another juvenile in the form of a photo or video. Explicit sexual material would include human genitalia, nudity, sexual activity or sadomasochistic abuse.

Lawmakers in Vermont, Utah and Ohio, among other states, have passed similar legislation. Supporters say it would give law enforcement and the courts a more appropriate way to deal with juvenile sexters. Opponents say it would criminalize children for stupid behavior that is better dealt with by parents.

The maximum sentence for conviction under the proposed Arizona legislation would be four months in jail, but lesser sentences could include probation, participation in diversion programs or fines.

Juveniles who did not solicit the photo or video, took reasonable steps to destroy it and did not forward it to another person would not be in violation of the proposed law.

The Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee passed the bill with a vote of 5-0 on Wednesday. It now moves to the Senate Rules Committee.

Paul Ahler, executive director of the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council, said he didn't think any Arizona children have been charged with felonies for sexting under the current law.

However, children in other states have.

His organization, which includes representatives from the state's county attorneys, the state attorney general and municipal prosecutors, supports the bill.

Ahler said judges and law enforcement now are stuck with labeling a child a sex offender or finding some lesser charge that may not precisely fit the circumstances. In August, for example, Tucson police recommended a misdemeanor charge of using a telephone to offend, harass or intimidate for two 13-year-old boys suspected of sexting.

"Arizona prosecutors do not want to deal with this issue using child-pornography laws," Ahler said. "These are not pedophiles, not sex offenders. But they are doing something dangerous that needs to be stopped."

Susan Crawford with the Pinal County Attorney's Office said the current law has made officials reluctant to prosecute sexting at all.

She said the proposed legislation would show minors that sexting is serious, while at the same time allow for a more appropriate level of sentencing.

Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, opposes the legislation.

"We're jailing kids for exercising poor judgment," she said. "This bill, it's so broad, would outlaw electronic mooning. That's one of the oldest pranks in the book."

Soler Meetze said such a law could lead to more prosecution of juvenile sexting and has a high potential for selective enforcement based on the attitudes of different communities.

"The kids engaging in these kinds of behaviors need education, support from their teachers and parents, and treatment," she said. "They don't need incarceration."