How Can The Law Consider You Both A Minor And Adult, Victim And Perpetrator - All At The Same Time?

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - How can the law consider you both a minor and an adult and the victim and the perpetrator all at the same time? Ask the state of North Carolina.

A North Carolina couple were arrested and charged with making and distributing child pornography earlier this year. The couple, 16-year-old high school sweethearts, took nude pictures of themselves and sent them to one another.  But they are caught in a legal conundrum.  Because they are under the age of 18, those nude pictures are considered child pornography. But under North Carolina law, anyone age 16 or older is charged as an adult. That means that unless the court steps in, each could be tried as an adult for taking pictures of a child—who is, in this case, the same person.

Many states are moving to treat the crime as a misdemeanor so that teens don't wind up on the sex offender registry for life because they made a dumb teenage mistake. But it serves as a warning and a reminder. It is illegal to take lewd photos of minors, even if YOU are the minor taking a picture of yourself. Before you snap a racy photo and FOR SURE before you hit send, stop to think about the consequences.