Doing research on this topic was both emotionally and mentally tolling because child pornography in Pennsylvania is under the topic of “Sexual Abuse in Children.” I believe that when we first hear the term childhood pornography, we are taught to picture mentally disturbed adults who are viewing naked children for pleasure, but recently, these adults viewing this explicit material are not the only ones facing criminal charges. Sexting, or “sending nudes” as many teens call it, is the act of sending sexually explicit photographs to others via text messaging or the internet. Sending or receiving a sexually suggestive texts or images under the age of 18 is considered child pornography and can result in criminal charges even if another teen is the one who sent the message

1. The Facts

According to DoSomething, 11% of middle school girls (ages 13 to 16) have been involved with sending or receiving sexually explicit messages. The percent of teens almost doubles as age goes up with 24% of high-school age teens (ages 14 to 17) and 33% of college-age students (ages 18 to 24) admitting to being involved in a form of nude sexting.

2. The Receiving

According to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, child pornography is the deliberate, purposeful, or voluntary viewing of material depicting a child under 18 years of age in which they are engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of such act. DoSomething says, nearly 40% of all teenagers have posted or sent sexually suggestive messages, but this practice is more common among boys than girls. Teen boys asking girls for naked photographs has become second nature to them. With more and more social media outlets and cell phone use, snapping a picture, bra or pantieless, seems to be no big deal. This is not only appalling, but it is illegal. Teens don’t get themselves into trouble for asking for them but get into trouble when they share them.

3. The Sending

Not only is receiving child pornography an illegal act but sending it is as well. If someone distributes, displays or exhibits child pornography, it’s considered breaking the law. Anyone who possesses for the purpose of sale, sharing, or personal use depicting a child under the age of 18 years old engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of such act will face criminal charges if caught. Studies show that 17% of sexters share the messages they receive with others, and 55% of those share them with more than one person. Teens call this someone’s “nudes leaking.” If a high school girl takes naked photographs and sends them she legally in as much trouble as the boy who asked for them and chooses to send them to others.

4. The Consequences

In Pennsylvania, a state with strict laws on child pornography, an individual who is under 18 and is a first time offender would be subject to a summary charge, essentially avoid jail time and would be required to surrender the device in which it was sent or received on. Unlike an adult receiving these charges, the child would not be required to register as a sex offender. However, until lawmakers are able to agree on a sexting stature, those under the age of 18 can and will be charged under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania child pornography laws. This would mean registering as a sex offender, spending up to ten years in jail and or a $25,000 fine if found guilty under the statute.

After all, sending and receiving child pornography can result in criminal charges for adults, so what makes it different when the tables are turned to the children? Not only are these naked pictures of teens so devastating but in a past article done by ABC News, it was reported that high school students who send and receive sexually suggestive or explicit images are more likely to have symptoms of depression, according to a study from the Education Development Center in Newton, Mass. Teens are heartbroken because they’ve trusted someone they shouldn’t have, are facing fines, sex offender titles, kicked off sports teams, kicked out of schools, and in some of the worst cases, been put in jail or have committed suicide all because their classmates have seen them naked.