The Minnesota teen sent a revealing selfie to her boyfriend, but then had second thoughts. Concerned that he was sharing the photo with other classmates, she went to a school counselor for help.
The girl’s concerns were well founded. The boy had shared the photo, which she’d sent through Snapchat, with other teens. She didn’t get the help she was looking for, though. Instead , she ended up facing a felony criminal charge that could derail her life. The Rice County, Minnesota prosecutor charged the girl with felony distribution of child pornography. Even a plea to a lesser charge could put the girl on the Minnesota sex offender registry for ten years.
This case adds a new layer to the insanity of placing teenagers on the sex offender registry for years–or even for life–as a result of consensual sexual activity. In this case, and others like it, the child allegedly being victimized through the creation and distribution of the image is the girl herself. The law that was written to protect children and young teens from predators has itself become a significant threat to them.
Various studies have shown that more than 10% of high school-aged kids admit to having sent or received nude photos, and that about 30% of young adults now admit that they sent such photos in high school. Thus, the chances of a teenager falling victim to this misguided application of child pornography laws is much greater than the risk that the same teen might fall victim to an actual predator.
Minnesota Prosecutor Charges Sexting Teen Girl with Child Pornography