Pa. Parents Fire Back at Sexting Charges

Stalkers, potential employers may have access to photos years later

(NEWSER) - The critical problem with sexting is that salacious snaps teens send of themselves from their cell phones can exist forever in cyberspace. That's the message Australian authorities are stressing in a new educational anti-sexting campaign. Nude pictures sent in fun could end up being posted on the Internet by sexual predators years later or could scuttle job prospects if spotted online by potential employers, reports Reuters. More»

(NEWSER) - The recent—or recently discovered—“sexting” epidemic has produced a reasoned response from educators, and a wild overreaction from police,” Dahlia Lithwick writes on Slate. “Schools are enacting what amounts to a don't-ask-don't-tell policy” on teenagers sending out naked pictures of themselves, and others, she writes. But cops are hauling in high-schoolers on child pornography charges. “Cyber-humiliation shouldn't be grounds for a very real and possibly lifelong criminal record.” More»

Nude photos shared by phone could make senders sex offenders

(NEWSER) - Pennsylvania teens are in trouble over child-porn photos—of themselves. Three girls who took the pictures, and three boys who got them via cell phone, have been charged, Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV reports. A student was caught with one of the phones in school in October, prompting a police investigation. But the charges violate the spirit of state child-pornography laws, says an attorney. More»

'Internet cowboys and cowgirls' twist results of online surveys

(NEWSER) - One in five teenagers have shared naughty pictures of themselves over the phone or online—at least according to reports of the “sexting epidemic” that’s been causing hysteria lately. But the figure might be bogus, the Wall Street Journal reports, because it’s based on a voluntary online survey. “These kinds of samples select Internet cowboys and cowgirls,” said a researcher. More»

14-year-old may have to register as sex offender

(NEWSER) - A 14-year-old New Jersey girl has been charged with possessing and distributing child porn for posting nude photos of herself on her MySpace web pages, reports WPIX-TV. If convicted, the girl may have to register as a sex offender. The case highlights increasing problems with children posting or texting racy images of themselves. "This is a wake-up call for parents," said an official. "The girl posted the photos because she wanted her boyfriend to see them." More»