Middle-schoolers arrested for nude photos

Four sixth- and seventh-graders in Alabama were arrested for taking and sending nude photos of themselves with their cellphones. The two boys and two girls “were charged with possession of material harmful to minors, a misdemeanor,” the Birmingham (Ala.) Press-Register reports, adding that “the law was intended to prevent copies of hardcore pornography from sitting on the same shelves as Sports Illustrated and Newsweek magazine.” A police officer told the Press-Register that adults convicted of “similar crimes” face sentences of up to a year in a jail and a fine of up to $10,000, but these students “will likely face punishment ranging ‘from probation to a correctional program like a boot camp’.” As much of a nightmare as this case is for the students and their families, at least the students weren’t charged with the federal felony of distribution of child pornography, a terrible possibility of which parents and teens really need to be aware (see “Teen-distributed child porn” and a similar case in Pennsylvania). [Thanks to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for pointing this story out.]