“A 14-year-old New Jersey girl has been accused of child pornography for posting nearly 30 explicit nude pictures of herself on MySpace.com – charges that could force her to register as a sex offender if convicted.” More …

And the highly negative impact on one’s career prospects due to being listed as a sex offender (‘sex offender’ is generally regarded as unhelpful on a CV) has prompted – legal action!

“Three teenage girls are suing a US prosecutor who accused them of peddling “child pornography”, after semi-nude pictures of them were sent by mobile phone to friends.

“The complaint is the latest legal wrangle over “sexting” – the apparently popular practice of sending nude or semi-nude photos to friends by mobile phone.

“The American Civil Liberties Union, . . . said . . . prosecution could have landed the girls on the sex offenders’ register, blighting future job prospects. . . . That’s a heck of a lesson for a kid who probably doesn’t even realise she is doing something wrong.”

“(The District Attorney) described the pictures as “provocative”, and insisted the teens need to “gain an understanding of how (their) actions were wrong”, as well as “what it means to be a girl in today’s society”. More …