By BETH DeFALCO, Associated Press Writer Beth Defalco, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 26 mins ago
TRENTON, N.J. – A 14-year-old New Jersey girl has been accused of child pornography after posting nearly 30 explicit nude pictures of herself on MySpace.com — charges that could force her to register as a sex offender if convicted.

The case comes as prosecutors nationwide pursue child pornography cases resulting from kids sending nude photos to one another over cell phones and e-mail. Legal experts, though, could not recall another case of a child porn charge resulting from a teen's posting to a social networking site.

MySpace would not comment on the New Jersey investigation, but the company has a team that reviews its network for inappropriate images. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off a state task force, which alerted the Passaic County Sheriff's Office.

The office investigated and discovered the Clifton resident had posted the "very explicit" photos of herself, sheriff's spokesman Bill Maer said Thursday.

"We consider this case a wake-up call to parents," Maer said. The girl posted the photos because "she wanted her boyfriend to see them," he said.

Investigators are looking at individuals who "knowingly" committed a crime, he said, declining to comment further because the case is still being investigated.

The teen, whose name has not been released because of her age, was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. She was released to her mother's custody.

If convicted of the distribution charge, she would be forced to register with the state as a sex offender under Megan's Law, said state Attorney General Anne Milgram. She also could face up to 17 years in jail, though such a stiff sentence is unlikely.

Some observers — including the New Jersey mother behind the creation of Megan's Law — are criticizing the trend of prosecuting teens who send racy text messages or post illicit photos of themselves.

Maureen Kanka — whose daughter, Megan, became the law's namesake after she was raped and killed at age 7 in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender — blasted authorities for charging the 14-year-old girl.

The teen needs help, not legal trouble, she said.

"This shouldn't fall under Megan's Law in any way, shape or form. She should have an intervention and counseling, because the only person she exploited was herself."

Called "sexting" when it's done by cell phone, teenagers' habit of sending sexually suggestive photos of themselves and others to one another is a nationwide problem that has confounded parents, school administrators and law enforcers.

Prosecutors in states including Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin have tried stop it by charging teens who send and receive the pictures.

In northeastern Pennsylvania, a prosecutor recently threatened to file child porn charges against three teenage girls who authorities say took racy cell-phone pictures that ended up on classmates' cell phones.

The MySpace case may be a first, though.

"I'm not sure I've seen a prosecution like this coming out of a social networking site," said Seth Kreimer, a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Milgram, the attorney general, could not recall another such case in New Jersey. She cautioned parents to get on those sites and monitor what their kids are talking about and posting.

"Unfortunately, youth don't have the same judgment as adults," she said, "and often, adults don't have the same technical savvy as the youth."

Quoted:
I don't see any good reason to charge her with taking pictures of herself.  That just seems like nonsense to me.  Mom needs to kick the girls ass and maybe choke some sense into her, but charging her with child porn?  




-K

Quoted:



This country is going full retard. Does anyone have any common sense
anymore? Also, why are nearly all young girls whores all of the sudden?
WTF is happening.

Quoted:
This country is going full retard.  Does anyone have any common sense anymore?  Also, why are nearly all young girls whores all of the sudden?  WTF is happening.

Quoted:


Yep.  She is publishing child porn.  Doesn't matter whose pics they are, it is still illegal.

Of course, as a juvenile, she should be treated differently than an adult.

But this stuff is serious and needs to be stopped.

Quoted:


Yep.  She is publishing child porn.  Doesn't matter whose pics they are, it is still illegal.

Of course, as a juvenile, she should be treated differently than an adult.

But this stuff is serious and needs to be stopped.

Quoted:











Young girls are now acting like young boys. Young boys are now acting like young girls. That's how I see it.

Quoted:
Take a bow Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton. You Turn little girls into skeezos like yerselves.

Quoted:
This country is going full retard.  Does anyone have any common sense anymore?  Also, why are nearly all young girls whores all of the sudden?  WTF is happening.

Quoted:
child porn is child porn.

Quoted:



WTF is happening?

A liberal agenda starting in elementary school that teaches that "it's all good as long as it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings" So, we are shocked that kids do that? Did this child think for one moment that it would hurt anyone? Nope, hey her "role models" do it all the time and THEY get good press about it.

Also, it's a matter of degree. I'm 57 and yes, amazingly there were 14 year old sluts around. I understand they have been around like......forever. However with technological improvements the method of delivering the message has resulted in 1. The ability to communicate instantly. 2. The ability to report it globally, instantly.

In the past, you probably wouldn't have even seen it in your hometown newspaper, the decision being made that it only appealed to "prurient interests" as wasn't worthy of printing. Now, not so much.

In the past, you probably wouldn't have even seen it in your hometown newspaper, the decision being made that it only appealed to "prurient interests" as wasn't worthy of printing. Now, not so much.

Quoted:
I agree the CHILD needs help but she's not a criminal.  

Child porn is illegal because of exploitation and abuse.  She made the decision to exploit herself.  Totally different.  

The legal system is just like the medical system––––––only worried about the symptom and not the cause.

Quoted:


Yep.  She is publishing child porn.  Doesn't matter whose pics they are, it is still illegal.

Of course, as a juvenile, she should be treated differently than an adult.

But this stuff is serious and needs to be stopped.

Quoted:
WTF! Being charged for child porn of herself.
Does this mean that she is a pedophile each time she look in the mirror naked?

Common sense has gone out the fucking window here.

Quoted:
Young girls are now acting like young boys. Young boys are now acting like young girls. That's how I see it.

Quoted:


This shit is getting out of hand.  In a purer, more just America, the DA would be tarred and feathered for this.



And for some reason I think there's got to be some kind of constitutional issue in arresting someone for possessing nude pics of themselves.  I can't quite figure out how I'd argue it but I know it has to be there somewhere.

Quoted:


My thoughts exactly! I guess I'm lucky I never got charged indecency with a minor everytime I beat off in High School.

Take sex away from people. Make it forbidden, evil. Limit it to ritualistic breeding. Force it to back up into suppressed sadism. Then hand the people a scapegoat to hate. Let them kill a scapegoat occasionally for cathartic release. The mechanism is ages old. Tyrants used it centuries before the word 'psychology' was ever invented. It works, too.

Never crowd youngsters about their private affairs, sex especially. When they are growing up, they are nerve ends all over, and resent any invasion of their privacy. Oh, sure, they'll make mistakes, but that's their business, not yours.

-Robert Heinlein

Quoted:
Also, why are nearly all young girls whores all of the sudden?  WTF is happening.

Quoted:


That is the part I do not get. How can you be charged with the possession of pictures of yourself, taken by yourself, on your own free will. That is just mind boggling. What is worse is there are people who see no issue with this cause its 'child porn'.
 

Quoted:



Don't forget all the trouble she can get other people into. Some random guy happens upon her myspace before the pics are taken down, whoops just viewed child porn. And "it was an accident" doesn't usually work as an excuse for viewing child porn.



Also the law shouldn't treat people differently because of their age. Hell remember Traci Lords?

Quoted:


Yep.  She is publishing child porn.  Doesn't matter whose pics they are, it is still illegal.

Of course, as a juvenile, she should be treated differently than an adult.

But this stuff is serious and needs to be stopped.

Quoted:
WTF! Being charged for child porn of herself.
Does this mean that she is a pedophile each time she look in the mirror naked?

Common sense has gone out the fucking window here.

Quoted:

Quoted:

This country is going full retard. Does anyone have any common sense anymore? Also, why are nearly all young girls whores all of the sudden? WTF is happening.

Quoted:
Ban cell phones for under 18.

Quoted:
This shit is getting out of hand.  In a purer, more just America, the DA would be tarred and feathered for this.

And for some reason I think there's got to be some kind of constitutional issue in arresting someone for possessing nude pics of themselves.  I can't quite figure out how I'd argue it but I know it has to be there somewhere.