The latest ‘sexting’ news re children falling foul of the law, demonstrates once again that the law can condemn behaviours but it cannot grow healthy living.

CHILDREN sending and receiving sexually explicit images on mobile phones – or ”sexting” – are unwittingly falling foul of child pornography laws, a parliamentary hearing on child cyber-safety has heard.

Education researcher Paul Weldon told the hearing that ”laws designed to protect children from adults [were] now being used against children”.

Dr Weldon cited the case of a 14-year-old boy in Bunbury, Western Australia, who pleaded guilty last week to child pornography charges, after footage of a 14-year-old girl having sex with two other boys was downloaded onto his mobile phone. It is understood that the footage had been widely circulated among other schoolchildren.

A 2009 survey of 4770 students by the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria found that 7.3 per cent of children between school years 5 and 11 had been asked to send a naked picture of themselves.

The figure was at its highest among year 11 girls, jumping to 16.3 per cent.

Article, ‘Sexting’ teens breach child porn law.  Also, Legal and future perils of ‘sexting’ yourself: child pornography charges and the CV.