Girl, 15, Faces Porn Charges For Sexting

A 15-year-old girl from central Pennsylvania faces child pornography charges after police say she sent nude pictures of herself over the Internet.

Clearfield County District Attorney William Shaw says the girl has been charged as a juvenile with possessing, distributing and creating child pornography.

The girl is living with her mother. Authorities say the girl sent the pictures after communicating in June 2007 with a 27-year-old man over the MySpace networking Web site.

The practice has been called "sexting" for the prevalence of teens to transmit images via a cell phone.

Shaw says the man has also been charged with unlawful sexual activity. State police found the images on the man's computer.

The case is similar to a situation in a Wisconsin high school, where a student forwarded a sexually explicit picture of his ex-girlfriend to 100 or more classmates.

Capt. Mark Stigler said police are pursuing possible felony child pornography charges against the teens who distributed the photo.

Police and school officials in Waukesha are warning parents to check their children's cell phones, making sure any such images are deleted.

Principal Melissa Thompson of Waukesha High School told CBS News correspondent Kelli Watson, "Kids really need to know and understand that their digital footprint will live on."

Last month, police in Greenburg, Pa., said three girls ages 14 to 15 allegedly sent nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of themselves to three male classmates. All six face charges of manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography.

Roughly 20 percent of teens admit to participating in sexting, according to a nationwide survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

"This is a serious felony. They could be facing many years in prison," CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom said of the six Pennsylvania teenagers.

But, Bloom added, "What are we going to do, lock up 20 percent of America's teens?"