As a follow up to earlier posts on the topic of teens and digital pictures - here, and here - comes this story from Wisconsin about a 17-year-old boy who is facing felony charges for posting nude pictures of a 16-year-old girl classmate on his MySpace page. The girl has testified that she emailed him the photos. While certainly the boy is in the wrong for posting the photos on MySpace, this story raises the issue of moral ambiguity for teens who are figuring out the rules of how to navigate these new waters of a digital culture.
LA CROSSE, Wis. - A teen accused of posting nude pictures of a 16-year-old girl on his MySpace page was bound over for trial Wednesday after he refused to enter pleas to three charges.
Alex Phillips, 17, of La Crosse, pleaded not guilty, according to online court records updated Thursday.
He is charged with felony counts of possessing child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, and a misdemeanor count of defamation. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 16 years, nine months in prison and a $45,000 fine.
The girl, who testified by phone, said she took the photographs of herself and e-mailed them to Phillips about two months ago. When she learned on May 17 that Phillips had posted the photos to his Web page, her mother called police.
Source: Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/local/19354284.html?
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