This very thing has happened twice in our local high school. In both cases, a girl (15yo in both cases), took an explicit photo of herself and sent it to her boyfriend via phone. After an argument and a subsequent break-up, the boy(s) then did a “mass mailing”, sending the pics on to every contact in their phones, and the images ended up on myspace pages. Some of those recipients then forwarded it on, etc. In both cases the original recipient (who was the only intended recipient) was charged with distribution of child pornography. In one case the photo was received an opened by no less than 300 persons, the other was in the 200’s. Theres no way to document the veiws on the internet, nor where those images ultimately ended up.
Did the girls exercise bad judgment, yes – no doubt. BUT, it was their own image (albeit still underage) and it was clear that the photo was intended for one recipients eyes only. The subsequent humiliation, degradation, and mental duress they suffered was something that is incomprehensible. In the words of our States Attorney,”... there is no punishment we can dole out to these girls worse than what they have already suffered due to their own ignorance & naiveté.”
As for the boys who started the mass mailings…YES they should be punished, and they were. The very expensive and time consuming process is now taking place to follow through on all the others who not only opened the photo (which can happen inadvertently, but to those who opened and then forwarded, posted publicly, etc.
The question here seems not to be as much about common sense, but rather about malicious intent to destroy.