Sex Offender at 14?
Explicit nude photos posted on MySpace.com have brought child pornography charges against a 14-year-old New Jersey girl. If convicted, she may be forced to register as a sex offender which will have lifetime consequences for a very stupid act many teens do on a regular basis.
The girl, who posted about 30 “very explicit” photos so her boyfriend would see them, will have to live with the knowledge that anyone with access to the Web could view them, including authorities trying to protect kids from being victims of child pornography.
Today’s technology makes it too easy for teenagers to post nude and/or sexually explicit photos of themselves to the Web or send them to their boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s cell phone. Once posted, the photos become fair game for anyone who wants to download, print, or further distribute them.
“Sexting” is texting with sexually explicit photos and, according to Wikipedia, is done primarily by teens. Sexting photos are as “safe” as the person they’re sent to which often means they end up being posted online or sent to other cell phones and then onto the Web. The Wikipedia article links to several news articles about teens sexting and the dire consequences.
ANY photo, once posted online or sexted, can never be erased.