Self-Portraits of Teens Spur Kid-Porn Charge

Nude photos shared by phone could make senders sex offenders
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 16, 2009 11:20 AM CST
Self-Portraits of Teens Spur Kid-Porn Charge
The charges violate the spirit of the law, says an attorney.   (Shutterstock)

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.

Police were hoping to make a point about the danger of such photo-sharing, MSNBC adds. “That cell phone can be put on the Internet where everyone in the world can get access,” said an officer. While the kids may not serve prison terms if convicted, they might have to register as sex offenders for a decade, the lawyer notes. (More teenager stories.)

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