Teens Being Charged with Child Pornography

by Stephanie Romero | More from this Blogger

15 Jun 2011 08:50 AM

About a week ago I watched a segment on "The View" about a young girl who at the age of 13 met a man in an online chat room. The whole situation is quite disturbing. He apparently "talked" her into sending nude pictures. Not only that but he also convinced her to perform sexual acts with friends on her web cam.

While I am somewhat sympathetic to the pressure she may have felt about sending pictures, I don't feel quite the same about the acts she performed with her friends. How a person online can convince someone to do these things, well, I have to wonder where she was at in her state of mind.

The man online got her to continue all of this by threatening to tell her parents. So she continued to do it for an unknown period of time.

Strangely, about two years later, police received an anonymous tip about the whole thing. They go to her house and after looking through her computer, end up charging her with 2 counts of child pornography.

Now there are a lot of different angles to consider in this story. First, the fact that she was investigated two years later and second, no one has tried to find the man involved. The story sounds really odd to me.

So now she is facing potential jail time and if found guilty, could be put on the registered sex offender list for life.

I have a feeling there is a lot more to this story than what was shared. But the real issue is the fact that even a minor can be charged with child pornography for having naked pictures of other minors.

This is one thing I have told my teens more than once. I really want them to understand the gravity of a situation like that...that it's not just adults who get charged with this type of crime.

Parents can't talk about this issue enough. Not only is there the whole issue of sexting but a new problem has crept up, "sextortion." This is where kids are being extorted for sexual pictures and videos.

Make sure you take time to talk to your teen about the potential consequences of this type of activity.

Related Articles:

Consequences of Sexting

Talking to Your Teen About Sex

Preventing Teen Pregnancy

Photo by Jakub Krechowicz in Stockvault

Learn more about Stephanie Romero

Stephanie Romero is a professional blogger for Families and independent contractor for We Do Web Content. She has been married for 20 years and is the mother of three children ages 13, 15 and 18.

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