# 15-year-old girl prosecuted for child porn **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 5, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386 "2004-04-05T17:02:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/121 "2004-04-10T03:29:22Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > I don’t think it was. It’s not like they were out deliberately victimizing someone they knew to be a child. Ok. Then should commercial pornography featuring under-18 but consenting performers be ok? (I actually think that the age of consent for all sexual matters - sex, pictures, and whatnot - should be the same, and it should probably be under 18. Still in favor of a minimum age below which you can’t Do That, but 18’s just unreasonable.) ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/122 "2004-04-10T03:39:07Z")
I think it should be lower, I’m just not sure how much. Any arbitrary number is probably going to be wrong for some people. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/123 "2004-04-10T03:42:11Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > I think it should be lower, I’m just not sure how much. I’m not sure either. > [@catsix](#): > > Any arbitrary number is probably going to be wrong for some people. Yeah. I think our current arbitrary number’s probably more wrong than some lower arbitrary numbers might be, though. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/124 "2004-04-10T15:31:53Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > Anyway, it’s because pictures like this can affect the person photographed for a long time after they’re taken if they someday come to light again. Remember those pictures of Dr. Laura? Someone who takes naked pictures at 14 or 15 may, 10 years later, want to have a career or lead a life that would be quite damaged by the existence of said nakeypictures. And how would their career be damaged if we gave up the pretense that such pictures are inherently bad? > [@](#): > > The point of any legal punishment for this ought to be more educative than anything else, IMO - a little bit of “When we said not to do that, WE REALLY MEANT IT,” and a lot of “This is why you really shouldn’t do that.” But the “this” in “This is why…” is that she’s fifteen. Again, what lesson do you want her to learn? You’re so concerned about her future being compromised by distributing nekkid pics, but not from being prosecuted, perhaps missing out on a better high school education, etc? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/125 "2004-04-10T20:29:49Z")
[QUOTE=erislover] AnAgain, what lesson do you want her to learn?[\QUOTE] The lesson is “Do what we say or we’ll do horrible bad things to you.” Some people never tire of teaching it. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/126 "2004-04-10T20:40:47Z")
There’s also the issue of unwanted attention coming because of the pictures. I’ve actually had people significantly older than I am get in contact with me and try to chat me up simply because they thought some NON-naked pictures of me they’d managed to find were sexy and meant that I wanted attention from a nice older man. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/127 "2004-04-10T20:59:50Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > There’s also the issue of unwanted attention coming because of the pictures. I’ve actually had people significantly older than I am get in contact with me and try to chat me up simply because they thought some NON-naked pictures of me they’d managed to find were sexy and meant that I wanted attention from a nice older man. Which older people? Where? I will send out the intimidation squad. (one good thing about working in a prison; you meet people with very interesting occupations. “Intimidator” was one occupation given to me by a patient. He’s back out on the streets now) ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/128 "2004-04-10T21:03:22Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Which older people? Where? I will send out the intimidation squad. Worry not. This was a couple years ago, and I think they got the point when I told them to “leave me the hell alone” or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/129 "2004-04-10T21:12:42Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Which older people? Where? I will send out the intimidation squad. > > (one good thing about working in a prison; you meet people with very interesting occupations. “Intimidator” was one occupation given to me by a patient. He’s back out on the streets now) Ah, the hazards of posting on the same message board as your dad… 😃 Seriously, with some of the things I post on here, I’d absolutely die if my mom ever figured out how to turn on a computer and surf the net… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386/130 "2004-04-10T23:42:40Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Ah, the hazards of posting on the same message board as your dad… 😃 > > Seriously, with some of the things I post on here, I’d absolutely die if my mom ever figured out how to turn on a computer and surf the net… Since **Elfbabe** was reading the SDMB long before she signed up, I tended to not write anything here I wouldn’t mind my kids knowing. And once she signed up, we agreed on a mutual non-embarrassment pact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-year-old-girl-prosecuted-for-child-porn/238386.md?page=6)