Self Child-Pornography

Here is another interesting case for your digital internship discussions, one that shows that our legal systems are not always equipped to handle issues arising from emerging uses of technologies, especially by teens.

A 15-year-old Ohio girl was arrested on felony child pornography charges for allegedly sending nude cell phone pictures of herself to classmates. Authorities are considering charging some of the students who received the photos as well.

The unnamed student from Licking Valley High School in Newark, Ohio was arrested Friday after school officials discovered the materials and notified police. She spent the weekend in juvenile detention and entered a plea of “deny” on Monday, according to The NewarkAdvocate.com.

Charges include illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and possession of criminal tools. If convicted, the girl could be forced to register as a sexual offender for 20 years, but because of her age, the judge hearing the case has some flexibility in the matter, an official told the Advocate.

Full story here.

Virtual Pedophillia and Second Life

TechCrunch has featured a story on the growing problem of “virtual pedophilia on Second Life. Check out this Sky News inside report.

Beyond my disgust, I continue to see that such virtual worlds and user-generated content can bring up some unique moral and legal issues. While I’ve never believed that video game violence is directly related to real-world violence, I think very differently about those fantasizing about sexual encounters with children.

Read more at TechCrunch.