Parent: Topless photo of female student circulating among students at Northland middle school

[maddezmom]

41. The one reason maybe it was left is awareness of sexting laws

http://mobilemediaguard.com/state_main.html

State Laws Overview

The severity of a child’s action in terms of sexting is not always fully understood by both the children involved or their parents, but all 50 states have some type of legal enforcement.

While most parents understand that a child caught with sexually explicit images on their phone is criminal, the severity of the charges that could be assessed against the child can be sobering. For example, in states that have not specifically addressed sexting, it is very possible that the state will defer to its child pornography laws to address the action. As such, parents and their children need to begin to appreciate the following:

Possession of a sexually explicit image of a minor is a crime in and of itself.
Distribution (sending a sexually explicit image of a minor to others) is a crime in and of itself.
Promoting (the act of taking the picture of a minor who is engaged in a sexual act, even if the person taking the photo is the object of the photo) or coercing or soliciting (requesting a minor or tricking a minor into sending a sexually explicit image) is a crime in and of itself.
A teenager who takes a naked picture of themselves and sends it to another teen, has technically committed 3 felony crimes.
They could be charged with promoting, distributing and possessing child pornography and if convicted, could face real jail time.
A teen who receives a sexually explicit image (even if it was not requested) can be charged with possession and if they send the picture to anyone else they are looking at distribution charges if caught.
If one of the children is 18 (17 in some states) they are adults in the eyes of the law and even though they may be in a relationship with another teen, if that teen is under the age of 18 (17 in some states) there is a much greater risk of strict prosecution.
If convicted, the conviction will most likely be a felony and require the teenager to register as a sex offender.

More at the link