Eight students, ranging in age from 13 to 17, from a high school near Harrisburg, Pa., have been charged with felony pornography charges for using their cell phones to take, send, or receive nude photos of each other and in one case a short video of oral sex.

A new bill, which would limit the punishment for sexting, has passed Pennsylvania’s House Judiciary Committee and is due for a full floor vote. Under the new bill sexting charges would be a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

Pennsylvania's proposed reform is typical of the 20 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that have considered new sexting laws for minors during the past two years. Five states -- Arizona, Nebraska, North Dakota, Utah and Vermont -- have already adopted changes.

The question of how schools find out about the nude photos has provoked a debate with some child advocates claiming that schools are on shaky legal grounds when it comes to searching students' cell phones.

Source: "Sexting" Leads to Child Porn Charges for Teens, CBS Evening News, June 5, 2010

Tags: Sexting, legislation, pornography