Underage girl faces child porn charges for sending explicit photo on Snapchat

A young teen could face 10 years on the sex offenders registry after sending an explicit selfie to a boy. Photo / 123rf

A 14-year-old girl could soon be on the sex offenders register after sending an explicit photo of herself to a boy she liked.

The girl, known only as Jane Doe, sent the explicit picture on Snapchat before the recipient shared it with his friends without the 14-year-old's permission.

But now Jane faces charges of distribution of child pornography and could face up to 10 years on the sex offender registry.

The young girl has defended her actions, saying she's not a criminal and that sending explicit selfies is common among her friends.

"I'm not a criminal for taking a selfie," she said in a statement through the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Sexting is common among teens at my school, and we shouldn't face charges for doing it. I don't want anyone else to go through what I'm going through."

The young girl's father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has defended his daughter, accusing the state of "victimising the victim".

Legal Director Teresa Nelson agreed with the father, saying: "To suggest that a juvenile who sends a sexually explicit selfie is a victim of her own act of child pornography is illogical.

"Child pornography laws are supposed to protect minors from predators, and Jane Doe is not a predator."

Legal action is being taken to have the case against her dismissed.

In 2015, a 17-year-old boy in North Carolina was prosecuted for having nude pictures of himself on his own mobile phone. The images were taken when he was 16.

He had to strike a plea deal to avoid potentially going to jail and being registered as a sex offender.