Everyone Panic: Teens Are Sending Each Other Naked Photos On Camera Phones

from the really? dept

Thu, Jun 5th 2008 5:41am — Mike Masnick

When I first read this article from the Associated Press about this new teen fad of teenagers using camera phones to send each other naked photos of themselves, I'll admit that I reacted exactly as the article's authors probably intended -- wondering what the hell kids are up to these days. However, is this really that surprising or shocking? At that age, kids do all sorts of stupid things, and if you hand them tools like camera phones that make it so easy, it's no surprise that some kids, somewhere will do things like pass around naked photos of each other (which, by the way, opens them up to charges of child pornography). Hell, kids have been "playing doctor" for ages, and it didn't necessarily warrant a writeup in the Associated Press.

And, while the article does list out multiple such cases, there's no indication how widespread this really is. Yes, there are some kids out there who do stupid, impulsive things (especially when it involves members of the opposite sex that they're interested in), and hopefully people realize these are just isolated incidents. But, somehow, I get the feeling we'll soon be hearing people suggesting that this is a "common occurrence" rather than just a few isolated incidents. So, really, the story here is that there are some kids out there that don't have the best judgment, and sometimes a small number of those kids do stupid things. It just so happens that, these days, those stupid things can involve being naked on the internet.

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Filed Under: kids, mobile phones, naked pictures, photos

89 Comments

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Chronno S. Trigger, 5 Jun 2008 @ 5:48am

This is nothing new
My dad was telling me stories about doing this with Polaroids, just less digital.

Was this a concern when E-Mail first started?
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fratboy al, 5 Jun 2008 @ 5:56am

Surely these kids are not just sending these pics to each other.. could they be posting them online somewhere too? Link please...
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ben, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:00am

If this were a bunch 8 year olds i would be shocked but the fact that pubescent teenagers are sexual animals and express their sexuality in this way is not remotely surprising. Especially when i think back to the sort of think i used to get up to when i was that age.

What is slightly more shocking is the kind of thing i used to encounter when i worked for a telecoms company. We provided an MMS picture message service to a TV company were viewers could send in pics to be shown on the TV with a message. A rather high percentage of the photos sent in were teens sending naked pictures of them self to be shown on the TV. It was all moderated so i doubt any of them got on the TV but loads were sent in every day.
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DS, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:01am

This thread
This thread is useless without pics...
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www.custompcmax.com, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:11am

There are millions of kids out there with camera phones or digital cameras. Some of them will most definately use them inappropriately. It is bound to happen. I can't believe anyone is suprised. These kids that are doing this, would do something else "deviant" if it wasn't camera phones. It would just be something else.
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Greg, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:14am

Hmmmmmmmmmm
@you people wanting pics or links to pics.

These are underage kids, you pervs! Someone get there PII and send the cops to their houses.
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Ryan, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:19am

"Just isolated incidents."
Really? Well then I guess we should'nt be concerned that a 13-year-old girl sent such pictures to her 20+ boyfriend, who proceeded to bluetooth them to everyone he knew, including other minors who attend the local high school, who then sent them to everyone they knew.

Yeah, sounds real isolated.
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anais nin, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:20am

naked
why is naked such a horrible thing
im naked every day when i shower and while you probably wouldnt want to see it, i dont think its newsworthy
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:26am

Re: Hmmmmmmmmmm
Don't feed the trolls Greg. How you survived the internets so far amazes me.
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Mark Desmet, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:27am

How Far Has the Pendulum Swung?
Nudity is a gateway drug. No experimenting until you are of legal age, please. I don't care how arbitrary it sounds -- we can bend the rules to try and execute you as an adult, but showing the bits is a federal!
Stop making showing skin an offense. Showing it off should hardly be described as "deviant" -- inappropriate is even a stretch. That 20 yr old forwarding possibly private photos is certainly not a teen, and that behavior is significantly different than "taking" the pictures.
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Eliot, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:28am

Kids...
I have to agree with Ben and Chrono, this isn't a big surprise or even anything new. An old girlfriend of mine sent me a photo of her in skimpy clothes -- we were 15 at the time.

In the words of Cartman: "What's the big f***ing deal, b*tch?"

Sorry, I just wanted some vulgarity. Seriously though, this sort of thing happens all the time, and has been for some time, in various formats. The only difference now is that we are dealing with something that can be duplicated ad infitum with the click of a button.

I think this quote from the article summarizes it well:

"Psychologists said the phenomenon reflects typical teenage hormones and lack of judgment, with technology multiplying the potential for mischief. It also may reflect a teenage penchant for exhibitionism, as demonstrated on MySpace and countless other Web sites and blogs."
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SRNissen, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:31am

Re: "Just isolated incidents."
"Really? Well then I guess we should'nt be concerned that a 13-year-old girl sent such pictures to her 20+ boyfriend, who proceeded to bluetooth them to everyone he knew, including other minors who attend the local high school, who then sent them to everyone they knew."

We shouldn't be concerned that she did it - we shouldn't even be surprised.

The boyfriend, however, should get the ol' "Distribution of child pornography" banstick.
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UNKN, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:33am

I like how one 17 year old was arrested for child porn and molestation or something. Both of which are going to ruin the rest of his life. Even if the kid wasn't going to have much of a life, he doesn't need to have that label because his gf was dumb enough to give him naked pictures of herself. Same would go the other way if a guy sent his gf pics and burned her, he'd get whatever was coming.

But to charge for child porn, people don't THINK what they're going to do the kid before they up and charge them.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:33am

Re: Hmmmmmmmmmm
I'm guessing this was a joke, so don't get your panties in a bunch. I actually laughed at it and I have no desire to see any pictures. I'm guessing animated comedies such as Family Guy, American Dad, etc... go way over your head?
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UNKN, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:35am

OOps
Ok, not molestation, but the other two charges are probably just as bad. He's boned in that not so comfortable way.
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Huh?, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:39am

Oh my god!
Not Naked! Who the hell cares? Why don't we all get naked, then we could all stop worrying and being shocked by it.
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Baxter, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:39am

Down the Road
I'm appalled that so many think it's no big deal. Even ignoring the immediate impact and ramifications, a future Miss World, Sunday school teacher or even U.S. president may be represented in those pictures. Photos always have a way of haunting you later.

Talk to your kids now. It is a big deal.
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Estepona Apartments, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:40am

Pics
They say no news is good news...

You know not much bad stuff is happening in the world when this is newsworthy.
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yo ho ho...., 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:46am

Seriously...
... on the grand scheme, naked pics / playing doctor / stealing your dad's playboy....

all these things are so minor when compared to teen DRUGS, BINGE DRINKING & VIOLENCE

the media really needs help on its priorities
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Alimas, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:55am

Re: Down the Road
And...?
So if our president had taken photos of himself when he was a child then...what? ...reality folds in? The "terrorists" win?
Australia invades the US? Someone shows up with them to try to make him/her look bad, but ultimately just gets themselves in jail for child pornography and in some mysterious way this ruins the new president's life?
I just don't get where your going with this.
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Valérie, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:56am

I just don't get why a 12 year old need a phone ? Don't they have phone at home ? And at school or the mall... well public phones still exist, right ?
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Job, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:57am

Kids shouldnt even have cellphones at all. This wouldnt even be a problem if kids had responsible parents that didnt buy them everything they want. There is absolutely NO need for a kid to have a phone. If there is truly an emergency then there are land phones at school that they can use just like when I was in school in the 80s
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Alimas, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:59am

Re: Seriously...
When I was a kid I used to work deals with the my local neighborhood peers to steal their parent's porn for me.
I guess CNN would've loved to have caught wind of them goings on.
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Valérie, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:00am

Re:
Job, you are so right... why do kids need to act like adults at so young age ? why cellphones, 3-4 email accounts... and don't get me started with facebook.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:10am

ZMG NOOO
My precious little angel did something wrong that might have ramifications beyond her control! Information may be shared as a result and she might actually learn personal accountability and gain a clue as to what happens to information in the digital age? Government man step in and make sure this never happens to anyone else!

Seriously teenagers are walking sex organs... don't destroy their lives with sex offender charges. Juvenille court and hall exist so that dumb things you do as a kid don't permanantly destroy your life. And as a teen anything you do will have some sexual connotations. Not saying its right, just saying it doesn't need to be blown out of proportion by technophobes.
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Luke, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:13am

I don't get the problem
I used to cyber back in high school. There weren't any pictures or video to share, but I did use extremely explicit descriptions of my actions in text. I can only assume the person on the other end was another 16 year old.

And then when I got broadband in college there was the use of webcams to share an "explicit" moment with someone on the other end.

This is nothing new. Every teen goes after something sexual and depending on their personality they'll express it differently.
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TriZz, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:16am

As someone who is college aged...
I'll tell you that girls have sent pics of their cash n prizes to me before. It's flirtation. I've had buddies take a picture of their sack before and send it with the name "cute kitten.jpg". It's funny and not dangerous.

If kids are doing this with camera phones...it's probably because they're doing it without the phones.
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Saygin?, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:17am

12-year olds needing phones
@Valérie

actually there are fewer and fewer public phones available. They (supposedly) aren't cost-efficient given the availability of mobile telephony, so, actually to that part of your point, No.

Regarding phones at home, many U.S. households are abandoning the traditional home landline. As users upgrade to cable, DSL, and fiber services they are presented with the choice of adding the voice application as part of the package. Many, having that mobile phone, don't see the point of paying the additional money for yet another application that may not work as well as their tried and true phone. I had heard AT&T public policy people predict voice as "just another app" in a VoIP world, but had never considered how that would play out in people's homes. Why add yet another service to a monthly bill? Even if that service is the equivalent of the "home telephone".
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nunya_bidness, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:20am

Re: "Just isolated incidents."
"one" case of a dopy thirteen year old girl sounds isolated to me
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rosey palm, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:29am

Re: I don't get the problem
i used to do the same thing in high school, and in colledge.
it really paid off for me now in the real world cause i can type really fast one handed
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Fungo Knubb, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:29am

If the AP is reporting this, then it's a cover-up for something much more newsworthy, but that didn't fit their political agenda, that they could have reported on.

Just about every cell phone has one of those infernal cameras built into them whether you want it or not. Who was really surprised by this story? ... nobody thats been awake for the last 15 years. It's about the same as reporting that the Sun rose in the East this morning. What a waste of bandwidth.
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Sean H, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:33am

Paris hilton Started it!
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Kevin, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:33am

Re:
And at school or the mall... well public phones still exist, right ?

Not really. At least in the US, it's pretty uncommon to find pay phones in public places anymore. The ubiquity of cell phones is one of the major contributing factors. But the reality is, in the current nanny-minded world that we live in, parents want their kids to have cell phones. It means that they have the ability to get ahold of them any time and in any place, and therefore (goes the thinking) nothing bad can ever happen to them.
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Evil Mike, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:37am

Nudity...
If there is a God, she no doubt approves of sex and nudity--from the about of skin and sexuality all over the planet.

Biologically speaking, when a person reaches puberty, their body declares "ready for breeding" and their hormones reflect it.

Where did we integrate the asinine backwards bullshit idea of arbitrary ages representing "maturity"? There are plenty of immature 40y/o, and certainly a number of very mature younger folks. These backwards puritan bullshit beliefs are damaging to society as a whole, and should be re-examined (and forgotten entirely) in that context.
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Lisa Westveld, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:39am

In the USA, kids playing doctor end up with a criminal record and on the Sex Offender list. In the meantime, the kids parents will have to fight off huge damage claims from the other parents, resulting in a huge economic boost for the local lawyers...

In Europe, people tend to be a lot less prudish.
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you still have control, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:39am

It's your kid...
Really?.. my wireless provider offers the ability to disable PIC messages on a phone and there is no real reason for my child to have a camera phone until they are old enough to have a job and purchase the fancier phone for themselves... at which point they should be smart enough to know that sending pics of themselves isn't a good idea...

My brother is a teacher, and it is sad to see how many children he interacts with on a daily basis that don't have "the fear of God" in them as I did when I was a child... these kids have no respect or regard for themselves or anyone else...
Hopefully parents will see the error of their ways and do something positive to correct their child's behavior. Children are not born with these manners/ideas, they are raised with them.
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Eliot, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:48am

Re: Down the Road
Baxter, I think you're missing the point. Kids will do dumb things. Kids have always done dumb things. They have the internet to assist them in doing dumb things now.

Do parents need to make sure their kids know that doing dumb things now may lead to problems later? Absolutely.

Is this a sign that our kids are morally corrupt and society is going to hell and that these kids should be charged with distributing child porn? That's a tougher question.
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some other guy, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:51am

Re:
Requesting links to compromising pictures of under-age persons, in jest or not, could get you attention from the authorities.
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J, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:52am

Not Always a bad thing
No one seems to recall the young teen that used her camera phone to take a picture of the license plate on the car of a guy who tried to lure her into ride with her.
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Anti Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 7:53am

Re: Re: Hmmmmmmmmmm
LOL...

How ironic that you would post such a response....ROFL.

Wonders never cease.
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yazoo, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:04am

no way!
You mean *just* KIDS are doing this??? Not a single adult anywhere in the world is doing the same thing. Not one adult is engaged in a highly charged relationship that would spawn this type of behavior? No courting, cheating, or frisky old timers AT ALL? You mean every one of us over 21 types have all reverted to being prudish and shy? You mean we all now suffer from the remorse of what we did when we were kidz and are all "right wing conservatives" now?

Really. I must have missed that one..........
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Teenager from Maine, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:10am

Out-dated ideas
As a 17 year old, I see this sort of thing on occasion. I recall one time where a group of kids got a naked picture of a popular and were showing it around- nothing happened. I doubt the girl even knew, and even if she did, I'm not sure she'd care all that much.

Its RIDICULOUS to charge people with child pornography for that. On the widescale, people seem to think that punishment= deterrence, but often they're wrong. People get speeding tickets everyday, but no one stops speeding. Equally, teens, raging in hormones as we are (I can attest to that) will do what we will. There are bigger problems in US society than sexual tendencies of teenagers.

As for cell phones- they are a major disruption to the school environment, but beyond that, we're not talking about a problem. Where I live, I rarely see payphones, and its not even about parents checking in on their kids, its about people communicating. Before you get your license, you need to often call for rides- parents or friends who do. (And those of you who say walk or take the bus, I live in Maine, public trans sucks, and you're talking a 5 mile hike to the movie theater)

And whether people want to see this or not, we're are living in a world where younger people are being required to live like adults. Teenagers need to get jobs to afford things, need to get licenses to get places, and now even get charged like adults. So if we're being treated like adults, then do it EQUALLY- stop trying to be so protective then- if we have to take responsibility for jobs then give us the freedom to go with it. We are may be young, but we're not always stupid. If two 20-year olds can swap nudes and not be charged with anything, then so should two 16-year olds- if we're all treated the same.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:11am

I don't see what you shitbirds are getting so worked up about. If an 18yr old wants to take digital pics of her prize winning boobs and share them with the world then I'm all for it. If she wants to include her hoooha in that photo spread also then its HER choice and i say good for her. LETS ALL GET NEKKID!
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wasnt me, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:14am

as much as i don't feel this is a big deal i do see why it might raise some concerns, i believe the real issue isn't kids under 18 trading naked pics of each other, but the pontencial new source of underage porn easy available.
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Jackson Bollock, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:16am

Were you not informed?!
Anything any kid or small group of kids does, especially with new technology, criminally or artistically is a huge fad waiting to happen and quite possibly the tip of a huge iceberg of kids doing it all ready. The only thing you can do, and it rarely works but something must be done for the kids, is to panic, get all worked up and freaked out and then speak in hushed tones to each other about it all serious and concerned like. If you don't have another group of adults to do this with turn on any news network, they will do it for you with some self righteous indignation thrown in to make you feel like the superior adult again.
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Willaim, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:17am

I'm naked while I am writing this response. Who gives a F##$
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Willame, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:18am

Re:
PUT SOME CLOTHES ON YOUNG MAN, YOUR GOING TO MAKE JESUS CRY!!
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danimal, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:46am

Re: Out-dated ideas
You just restored a little of my hope for the future.
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asdf, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:51am

Re: naked
or do we? lol jk
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Kevin, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:53am

Re: Nudity...
Where did we integrate the asinine backwards bullshit idea of arbitrary ages representing "maturity"?

Right about the time that we decided that we needed to "protect the children." Actually, it's scientifically demonstrable that parts of the brain are still undergoing development until people reach their early 20's. One of the major areas still being developed is the part that deals with abstract thinking and the consequences of actions. So is it any surprise that people statistically tend to be less responsible until they get older?
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asdf, 5 Jun 2008 @ 8:53am

Re: Oh my god!
i dont think its the naked thing, i think its the old men looking at 10 year olds.
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Trevlac, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:03am

Teens want to be accepted and are going through that stage when their social lives call for acceptance the most but they get it the least. The word "teenager" didn't even exist until the 1950's when kids had a lot of extra downtime from the advances in technology (dishwashers, vacuums, etc) and they had expendable income. Before that you were a man at around 13-15 and a woman at similar age. 18 and 20 were old maid ages and you usually had at least one wife or husband before that.

As our society grows we push ages back more and more and make people feel less and less mature. Children have a natural place in life, as do adults. But teenagers are relatively new, and no, they are not accepted. Naturally they'd feel "misunderstood" and "lonely" which would cause anyone -of any age- to make stupid or hasty decisions. Especially when those decisions seemingly get them some acceptance. You post a nude picture on the internet, lots of people tell you you're hot, you feel good. You feel worth something.

So yeah, again, this is nothing new. Anyone with a sex drive is eligible for this kind of thing.
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lythander, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:05am

Panic that these kids are treated as felons..
RTFA -- Some of these kids (whether sending their own photos or receiving from others) are getting into some very serious legal trouble over these photos. That's a problem.

As a parent, I want to teach my kids better. But I also recognize (as should the law) that there's a huge difference between a teenager sharing naked pictures with their teenage boy/girlfriend and sharing them with some 40 year old guy.

Stop "thinking of the children" and let me take care of my own kids.
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Robert, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:19am

Parenting
Responsibility is taught in the home. I have five children and I warn each one on a regular basis about the dangers in posting information on-line. I have also warned my daughters that digital pictures can't be taken back--they will always be out there circulating among friends and strangers. The best advice is to tell them not to do it and to give them concrete reasons why they should listen to you. Robert http://www.thebestdwidefense.com
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:22am

If the boy is charged with the distribution of child pornography, then technically, so should the 13 year old girl.
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Roflcopter, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:30am

OMG
PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

Seriously. This has been going on since camera phones were mainstream like 7 years ago. Get with the times.
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So What, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:47am

The World Needs Strippers too
These are the same people that will end up in a bar shaking it for money as soon as they turn 18. No Big Deal.
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Squidly, 5 Jun 2008 @ 9:50am

CNN Reporting...
I love how this article appears under the CNN.com / CRIME section. Like, OMG!! :::GASP::: :::SHOCK:::

Please...:::sarcasm:::

My wife is surprised that my siblings and I even survived puberty with all of the stupid, adolescent crap we pulled.
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Reason, 5 Jun 2008 @ 10:00am

Teens are getting it harder nowadays....
Teens will be teens and I doubt they are really any dumber or hornier than previous generations. However, they have it harder these days, since the technological barriers that previously prevented their experimentations from having anything more than local and short-lived consequences are crumbling down. Thanks to the internet, now their "blunders" can travel across the globe and be stored for an indefinite amount of time in limitless locations.

But, as yazoo pointed out, are teenage blunders so much more frequent or serious than the ones committed by adults? Aren't there whole sites of amateur nude pics and sex videos that are posted out of revenge by disgruntled ex-partners? Nobody really cares, unless the people involved are high profile. The only reason people care about this is because the people here are "children" (IMO children != teen != adult), who need to be protected from the unrelenting hordes of paedophiles who abuse and exploit them through their pictures with their evil voodoo gazes of lust.
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Nasch, 5 Jun 2008 @ 10:33am

Re: Re:
It means that they have the ability to get ahold of them any time and in any place, and therefore (goes the thinking) nothing bad can ever happen to them.

I'm sure some people think that way - obviously not you - but on the other hand this week I came across the scene of a bicycle-car accident. I was the second person there, and the car driver was already on the phone to 911 (or maybe had already called 911 and was calling someone else). The victim's father was contacted immediately, and I think the driver's family as well. My point is, cell phones ensure there are communication options after something bad happens.

Even so, they can help prevent bad things too. I don't have teens yet, but when I do I plan to give them phones and tell them to call any time of day or night if they need help. Get away from a party it turns out they don't want to be at, avoid riding with friends who have been drinking, broken down car, etc etc. Wanting your kids to be able to contact you doesn't imply an overly protectionist attitude. Although perhaps wanting to be able to call them at any time might... interesting change of perspective when you switch who's doing the calling.

And as someone else said, I know there are middle schools with no pay phones, and no office phone available to students. If parents want their kids to be able to call home (and why wouldn't they?) they must have a cell phone, or hope their friends have one and are around.

IMO, having a cell phone is purely a good thing. Which does not mean it's not possible to do bad things with it.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 10:39am

Re: Teens are getting it harder nowadays....
Kinda reminds me of today's quotation at "The Quotations Page":

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."
Dave Barry (1947 - )
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PopeRatzo, 5 Jun 2008 @ 10:41am

Impossible!
Oh. My. God.

What's next, teenagers having sex? Or, God forbid, smoking pot?

I think the first thing we need are congressional hearings, and then a full investigation by the Department of Homeland Morality. I'm sure there's some connection to terrorism, so the NSA should be granted unhindered power to tap these teenagers' cellular phones. We don't want the smoking gun to be a *gasp* NAKED VIDEO. Oh, and clearly they are getting the idea for these naked cellphone pictures from the Iranians, so we better bomb them RIGHT AWAY!
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Jimmy the Geek, 5 Jun 2008 @ 11:10am

Try them as adults
For distributing child porn.

That is right, they should be tried as adults for taking underage pictures of themselves.

I don't care how stupid and senseless it is, they deserve to be punished as an adult for the mistakes they make as an underage yet sexually mature mammal attempting to procreate.

/sarcasm

What I find more hilarious than anything else is how people get more upset about the kid sending pictures to her boyfriend than the fact that they usually only send pictures like this to people they are having sex with already.

It's like a picture is worse than doing it in person.

The boyfriend can go to prison for decades for the naked picture of the girl they are having sex with, but have no jail time for the sex. The whole thing is bizarre.
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Yay!, 5 Jun 2008 @ 11:36am

Re:
Finally, someone who sticks their ad on to a relevant comment! Thank God! I applaud you sir/madam. But unfortunately, you ad comes to late, for I have just purchased a new computer so that I may send naked pictures of myself to all my friends. So now I'm broke :(
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udamdirtyape, 5 Jun 2008 @ 11:36am

Re: Nudity...
Here, Here! I couldn't have said it better myself.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 12:05pm

Re:
This truly sucks for that kid, especially since she was probably only a few months younger than him.

What does urk me is the double standard. in the article the a boy was charged for sending pics of himself and then other boys were charged for uploading the pics. why weren't any girls charged?
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Jun 2008 @ 12:07pm

Doesn't this mean that there are images of naked children FLOATING THROUGH THE AIR DIGITALLY?!

That means if I'm walking in the right place at the right time, IMAGES OF NAKED CHILDREN WILL FLOW THROUGH MY BRAIN.

This has to be stopped.
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Jason (profile), 5 Jun 2008 @ 12:13pm

Re:
Not like they used to. Many of the carriers have started taking down their pay phones, since cells are becoming so ubiquitous.
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udamdirtyape, 5 Jun 2008 @ 12:26pm

Re: Re: Nudity...
(I agree with Evil Mike) Kevin has his head up his own ass..
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Francis Burdett, 5 Jun 2008 @ 12:41pm

Re: Out-dated ideas
I must be upfront and admit that to bias and that I do not much care for children or their opinions.

And not wanting to be drawn into the child sexuality debate (which in any event is not really a technology discussion)..

But I did want to comment on the post from the young gentleman from Maine. Not about his actual comments, of which I was ever so broadly in disagreement, but on the fact that the young man was able to add to the conversation.

Again, while I did not particularly agree wholeheartedly with him, the young man presented his arguments on a level at least as high as many of the "adult" commenters.

Would this have happened 20 years ago?

Children did certainly debate within their families, churches, schools, etc; but it would have been the very singular little boy or girl who have had a letter to the editor published.
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withersteen, 5 Jun 2008 @ 1:41pm

no links pls - no jokes either
“We hold that offers to provide or requests to obtain child pornography are categorically excluded from the First Amendment,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the majority opinion.
http://www.kansascity.com/273/story/634522.html.
Carnivore is watching you.
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Preston, 5 Jun 2008 @ 4:12pm

Same old thing, new tool?
These are not isolated incidences, I've dealt with students doing this via email at a middle school while working as a computer technician. I'd love to say that this done and shall not return, but it's not. Kids are going to do dumb things. The author is correct that this is just the new form of doctor, so is it really a news worthy issue, no.
So the last issue that I see is, should these kids be charged with child pornography? Yes, not just because it is in fact child pornography, but also because they are under the age of 18, at such an age, they are not fully responsible for their actions so they don't get all of the rights. Also changing the law on this issue, would require extreme work, and incredible caution because there are just a lot of perverse and disgusting people out there, and some are willing and ready to take full advantage of any child pornography they can.
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Ryan, 5 Jun 2008 @ 5:37pm

Cell Phones
I think they should find a way to scramble cell phone signals in school, being 16 myself I cannot stand to see these stupid kids texting. Your not going to school for nothing.

The other issue is that I think that child porn should only be illegal for 18+ aged people. If i am 16, and I somehow have a picture of a 16 year-old, is that really all that perverted? I would just be interested in someone my age.

A child porn charge ruins your life, forget being a teacher, a police officer, CIA, government, all of that is gone. It shouldnt even be happening.
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BTR1701, 5 Jun 2008 @ 6:19pm

Re: Re:
> Requesting links to compromising pictures of under-age
> persons, in jest or not, could get you attention from the
> authorities.

Let them attend. There's still something called the 1st Amendment in this nation. It hasn't been repealed quite yet.
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NET625, 5 Jun 2008 @ 10:02pm

kids don't NEED phones
their parrents give them phone because the kids lie to their parrents saying that it makes them feel "safe". And it gives the parrents a pice of mind. I think its rediculous that parrents are buying phones for kids that are under 14. I say this because if your a good parrent then you know what kids are up to. I am 16 and I have a camera phone but I use it to txt and call people maby play a game or two but thats it. The camera is cool and all and so is the WMA player but I don't NEED thouse things and I have an iPod to play music and a really nice digi cam for pics. But you can't blame kids for using what they are given and getting their moneys worth.
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salt, 5 Jun 2008 @ 11:04pm

If I sent my buddies pictures of naked models, no one would give a shit. If I sent my buddies a video of somebody being decapitated, no one would notice. Think about that.
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Rekrul, 6 Jun 2008 @ 9:57am

"Let them attend. There's still something called the 1st Amendment in this nation. It hasn't been repealed quite yet."

Haven't you noticed yet that normal rules don't apply when "child pornography" is involved. When dealing with even the hint of CP, it's; ruin the person's life first, ask questions later.
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J, 10 Jun 2008 @ 11:48am

Ugh.
I'm a 21 year old who just finished college while watching the tail end of the shift from nobody having cell phones and using facebook, to not having it getting you socially outcast. (For the record, I refuse to use either. I don't see a point in them. Land phones work fine, and other people don't need to know about me, thanks.) A lot of it is probably social pressure. It's actually ridiculous how much "openness" people expect in these arenas now. If you don't have the two articles I previously mentioned there's "something wrong with you", etc., etc. Peer pressure is dumb, eh? It wasn't that bad when I was a freshman, but now it's ridiculous. I can't imagine how worse it is in the more cutthroat lower age groups.

Oh, my second cousin has had a cell phone since he was 3. That is a perfect example of something that needs to stop like right now, argh.

That said, does this excuse them for their actions? Nah, but I don't think that they should be tried for it. Like someone else said, we have juvie for this stuff. Plus it's garbage that it seems to be only boys getting in trouble for it, most of the teenage girls I know nowadays are WAY worse than the guys.

That said, have any of you ever been to places like, say, tinypic? Go hit random and see what sorts of crap you get involving 12~18 year olds. It's depressing.

I'm big on morality, but legislating it doesn't do anything, it's just a parental issue and we can't really do anything about it as a whole until the government finally decides to require procreation licenses. =)

Sorry, my thoughts got kinda scattered, but I think I got my message across...
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Jesus Loves Nudes, 10 Jul 2008 @ 10:26pm

Think of it this way...
Would you parents rather your kids flirting like this, or going off and having sex with the same person. Because honestly if you had the kids in person alone together, that's what would happen. And this ALONE feeling is what they get when they can sit there and text at night.

It's your choice parents... Have your little girl send a picture to a guy she obviously trusts and likes, or have her go out and have sex at a party with a guy she might have just met. Your choice, personally, I'd choose the obvious.

And plus, it's been like this for a long time.. Just not as digital. Think about it.. Have you ever looked at a naked picture before when you were younger? I bet you wish you could see that really cute girl/boy you knew the same way. It's not like that's a crime. But now you can. It's stupid that it's against the law. The kids made a decision themselves. The person who sent it is more at blame then the recipient. Use your brains now people..
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........................., 10 Aug 2008 @ 12:40am

alright, look..
alright look, we shouldnt be surprised at all but its better than the kids going out and having sex. teenagers cannot control their horomones and they do stupid things, so what? your gonna make mistakes and you gotta learn and i hate it how people get charged for child porn that are under 18 cause some girl or guy sent them naked pictures. the government has to think before they charge with this shit cause the kid who got charged has his life ruined and he probably would want to commit suicide. you cant ruin someones life like that and its not even that persons fault.
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bob, 15 Aug 2008 @ 1:50am

Re: Re: Hmmmmmmmmmm
k, dude this aint no joke, i'm 13 trust, iv'e been tempted 2 send my gf a pic of my big 1 but i haven't and i won't just like she won't send of herself 2 me.i no some kids in my skool u have kinda done it tho, so just understand me it aint no joke, and yes we r SEXUAL ANIMALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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sarah thomson, 20 Sep 2008 @ 7:43am

person
hay im sarah and im naked in bed rigt now and im having sex ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah oh im nervise ah ah ah
now here is david a dude it the hotest boy ever the jonas brothers suck dicks oh i hate the jonas brothers ok honey i love you all love you bye
.
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johnyappleseeds, 19 Jun 2009 @ 5:37am

everyone panic
As an 14 yr old boy i dont see whats the problem would you rather us "sext" or just go out and have crazy group sex?
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johnnyappleseed, 19 Jun 2009 @ 5:39am

Re: Re: Re: Hmmmmmmmmmm
since idiots make a big deal about it and want 2 ruin the fun perhaps we should just do what our parents did.
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john a m, 22 Jun 2009 @ 10:15pm

i am 13 years old boy. and my girlfriend and i use to send pics to eachother like this too. nd we do somethin and we call it cyber sex. it is like phone sex but texting. we have wakin up @ like 8:00 and we did this at anytime in the day. before we even started to talk we sent nude pics to each other. we met over facebook and then discovered we went to the same school. we talk about doing more stuff together but no we have not. she is in 7th grade and i am in 8th grade. people think it is weird that we are dating and she is a year younger than me! we are proud of our selves.
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Kieran, 12 Jul 2009 @ 4:59am

A teenagers point of view
Ok since all you adults seem to have your own thoughts, i thought i would give you all a tennagers point of view.

Ok at first, teens do this kind of thing all the time its nothing new and its quite surprising that adults or "the man" has only just started to find out some of the things we do (by we i mean teens aged 15-19) and the main reason for it is beacuse its just another way of expressing ourselves, i mean think about, if "weed" were to become legal, half the people who smoke it would stop beacuse the "thrill" so to speak of doing something that would p*** your parents off would be gone.

Back to the topic, i must input though that teenage couples only tend to send explict pictures of themselves to each when they feel completely comfortable with each other, so its not like, girl meets guy, girls sends pic, guy ditches girl and sends picture(s) to everybody he knows.
The kind of people who send private pictures around the world are nothing but low-life flithy scum.

At the end of the day, adults need to start incorperating teens into todays growing society, beacuse we are the ones that will be taking over from you and you'll want from us beacuse of what you think you have provided all that teens and young people need, when its quite clear to the public that all adults have provided teens is a "tag" (Referred to as chavs, hoodies and yobs) All words thats adults have labelled us as.

thats all im going to say at this point but if you wish to continue this topic of "Young people and teenagers" then your free to email me at kieran_5@msn.com and i will be happy to converse with any of you.

Thanks for reading.
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anonamys, 9 Jan 2010 @ 12:55pm

ok, im a teenager. all i have to say is, that girl with the 20 year old boyfriend. yall cared more about her sending a pic...then HER HAVING A 20 YEAR OLD BOYFRIEND. ok. and tell me, if its ok for adults to have adult pornagraphy, why cant teens have teen pornagraphy. you act as if teens should not have anykind of sexual desire, or what every you would like to call it.
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Jokr7, 23 Apr 2010 @ 1:09pm

lol dude im 13 and hav recieved many naked pics and videos from my ex-girlfriend. i hav sex all the time lol
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American Cowboy, 9 Nov 2010 @ 8:25am

YOU MUST BE INSANE!!!!!!
Okay I will admitt this I 12 but even I know better than to do such thing's I mean seorsly man you teenagers don't think of the troble you might get into for doing such thing's and I am not even a teenager and I am smarter than some of you teens.
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