In the age of easy, do-it-yourself-porn, teenaged sexting is going to become a major problem. Japan, always at the fore front technology, has been dealing with, not particularly well, this problem for the past decade. Just about every teenaged girl and boy in that country has a cell phone, a digital cam-quarter, and/or a computer with a with a built-in camera, but the trend started with those photo-booths that Japanese kids love to use to take snap shots of themselves to give to their friends. Kids started posing nude or expose their special body parts in the booths, and it quickly became a national phenomenon that the Japanese authorities could do absolutely nothing about.

Obviously we can't throw our kids in prison for making their own amateur porn (without any adult involvement), but the information hi-way is about to get flooded with self made kiddy porn.

Back in my day it was easier to limit distribution.

I've just posted a letter about this in the Upskirting article.

WHY did anyone think cameras in cellphones were a good idea for a standard feature? This is one of those cases where I don't understand why the parents gave the kids cellphones with cameras. It's not necessary to make a phone call or to send a message.

Is it worse for these girls (and guys) to send these pictures on their phones, or to actually be having sex? I don't have any facts obviously, but I wonder if teens who do these types of things have sex more or less than those who don't. Sex-related interaction between teenagers is nothing new, I just think most people kind of have their heads in the sand about it. Most of the 'seedy' things that go on on the internet were happening way before the internet, it's just now that it's paraded around in front of everyone's face.

Keep yer rockets and your sockets firmly tucked in yer pockets!

I never would have thought that teenagers would have any interest in either seeing images of naked persons of the opposite sex, or sharing such pictures of themselves. Teenagers have, since time immemorial, been chaste and humble. If only these "cellulated picturemaphones" had not come along and transformed our children into sex fiends.

all the concerned crocodile tears are pretty obvious if you look at what actually goes on and the real effects of what goes on.

The article says, "There's a tendency to look at cases like these and dismissively conclude: Oh, well, those girls are damaged. That may be the case, sometimes -- but we certainly don't make the same assumption about a teenage boy who shares nude photos of himself."

What kind of boy would flaunt his nude body? Damn few, and all of them have to be psychotic. The teen years are a time of frightening insecurity. And boys, especially, are bothered at the thought that girls are sizing up their small penises (and every boy knows his penis is inadequate).

And yes, the psychotic ones are undoubtedly the sadistic jerks who are on the high school football team. They would be the ones who are certain they have the biggest ones on campus.

I've already talked to my teenage daughter about this issue. I know that isn't going to stop the problem, but it's a better solution than un-inventing cell-phone cameras. I explained to her that any digital picture you take (and absolutely one that you send/give to another person) is very likely to make it's way to various corners of the internet where it may be seen by your parents, grandparents, teachers, friends' parents, whatever seems most horrifying to you. I have also told her about the legal issues.

Much as I hope none of my kids will ever send around nekkid pics of themselves, I seriously doubt that most kids who do so are likely to be damaged goods. It should be more of an embarrassment issue than a legal issue and I hope laws will change to reflect that.

In each case, there appears to be overreaching. The girl charged with making child porn was stupid. Why charge her at all? The cheerleaders were appropriately punished but the boys should have been as well. So what do the parents do? Sue the school for handling it quietly. What a bunch of dopes. Those girls who passed out the nude photos deserve embarrassment..if it's even possible at this point (which I highly doubt). I hope that this lawsuit by the parents prompts a rash of child porn charges against all of the teens. Perhaps a good lawyer will discuss that possibility and the parents will just move on and go back to trying to parent, hopefully in a more effective manner.

Evert single one, if he thought there was the slightest chance of it getting him laid.

then they can do whatever they want and nobody can prove anything.

I don't think she'll have any trouble. Probably no trouble getting the guy to show his face either, although a few might be too smart for that.

I was going to post more or less the same (except my daughter is only 5, 6 next month, so not in need of a talk about cell phones yet). But since snoozn already did that, I will simply agree with him/her.

I am curious about what you people think of what Svutlov said above. Since I think children and teenagers will always want to play with sex, how is a wave of self-made kiddie porn to be avoided? And, frankly, should it really be avoided, or can it be seen as (somewhat embarrasing but understandable) evidence of teenager sexuality--something we all already know about, having been teenagers ourselves?

If some tart can blindly send me a photo which classifies me as a felon child pornographer just for receiving it, then said little trollop should be on the hook for SOME kind of punishment.

So you should BOTH be embarrassed, charged, convicted, sentenced, and raped and finally murdered in prison. (Or at least you will, and she'll have to go to some kind of detention until age 18, destroying her life.)

What can you do? The law is the law. It was handed down to us by the gods and cannot be changed.