Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaindra
Sometimes people will bring charges and lawsuits just for the publicity. I think it's an effective way to get teens and their parents to realize that this shit goes on. And while I don't agree that it's child porn, I think it's worth talking about with your kids about the longevity that images like this can have.
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I agree about it being more publicity than anything. I don't think the teens that take pictures of themselves naked and then post them, e-mail them, or text them realize how big of a deal it is. At the moment they do it, they are more than likely doing it to impress a boy or girl, which is what the girl in the OP was doing when she posted them on myspace.
Parents need to sit down and talk to their teens about the ramifications of posting their nude teenage bodies online or to friends. Sure, it's only human to be naked, but when you are an emotionally fragile teenage girl, it can devastate you to find out that little picture of your breasts has been passed from your boyfriend to all of his friends and to all of their friends. Although they may be far from it, they will then be labeled as a slut/whore/easy. Most kids just aren't mature enough to realize or think far enough into the future about that one little action.
I do find that forcing them to file as a sex offender is a little harsh. Maybe scale down the punishment a little to being expelled, probation, or even volunteering to do school lectures to other teens about the harm in posting or emailing nude photos.
I think I might be rambling, but I've actually been thinking about this a lot since I first saw the story a few days ago. I'm also a member on a mostly teen site and had debated on posting it to get their insight and opinions on the subject. I changed my mind, though. I'm no good at starting these threads.