'Sexting' teenagers sue over porn charge
AFP
Three teenage girls are suing a Pennsylvania prosecutor who accused them of peddling "child pornography," after semi-nude pictures of them were sent by cellular 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.
Teachers alerted the authorities after discovering a waist-up image of two girlscovered just by a bra, and another image of a girl topless.
District Attorney George Skumanik called for the girls to undergo five weeks of behavior courses and take a drug test or face prosecution, according to a letter apparently sent to the teenagers' parents.
The American Civil Liberties Union, a cosignatory to the complaint, said Skumanik's threat was unconstitutional, and prosecution could have landed the girls on the sex offenders register, blighting future job prospects.
"In many states these charges would land these kids on (sex offender) databases ... for ten years or more, and prevent them from getting many types of jobs," said Witold Walczak, Legal Director for the ACLU in Pennsylvania.
"That's a heck of a lesson for a kid who probably doesn't even realize she is doing something wrong."
In the letter, Skumanik 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."
According to a survey by a US family planning organization, published in December, 20 percent of American teenagers said they had participated in sexting.
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District Attorney George Skumanik called for the girls to undergo five weeks of behavior courses and take a drug test or face prosecution, according to a letter apparently sent to the teenagers' parents.
The American Civil Liberties Union, a cosignatory to the complaint, said Skumanik's threat was unconstitutional, and prosecution could have landed the girls on the sex offenders register, blighting future job prospects.
"In many states these charges would land these kids on (sex offender) databases ... for ten years or more, and prevent them from getting many types of jobs," said Witold Walczak, Legal Director for the ACLU in Pennsylvania.
"That's a heck of a lesson for a kid who probably doesn't even realize she is doing something wrong."
In the letter, Skumanik 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."
According to a survey by a US family planning organization, published in December, 20 percent of American teenagers said they had participated in sexting.
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