There's nothing wrong with a member of Congress, or anyone else, having a private conversation with a 17-year-old over any medium. I really hate that teen sex panic has put up this wall between soon-to-be adults and actual adults. It's ridiculous. I hated it when I taught college, too. College seniors, especially, are adult in every conceptual and legal meaning of the word and I hated that to a great degree I was expected to treat them like children and not adults when I taught them.
I'd converse with a teenage girl on twitter if there was reason to. Not because I was trying to pick her up or send her my junk shot, but because there's no reason not to. Well, I guess now it would be "controversial" and I could expect a visit from Fox and the police.
