Ann Bartow of Feminist Law Professors hits the nail on the head

The news in recent weeks has reported a spate of child-porn prosecutions against teens accused of “sexting“—sending nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to friends and classmates—typically using their cell phones. According to a study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, nearly as many boys as girls have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video self-portraits (18% vs. 22%). Yet, it seems that almost all of the prosecutions one hears about involve pictures of girls. Boys are sometimes prosecuted for possessing or “distribution,” but of those who photograph themselves, it is the girls that are the primary targets of legal action, press reports and public attention.

She said it here.

Sort of speaks for itself, eh? The Two Rules of Desire say that men or boys can send photos because they’re horny — typical noxious activity perhaps but no harm. But if girls do it? Whoa, that’s broken! They must be in thrall. They don’t know better. They’re going to turn into sluts. They’re victimizing themselves!!!! They might tear their hymens and then nobody will want to marry them!!!!” Better lock ‘em up… before they further harm themselves!

I’m not sure which is worse — throwing the book at girls or completely neglecting boys.

Fortunately we don’t need to decide: hysterical overreaction and blind indifference are both really shitty things to do when children are forming their sexual identities.

It’s not about hypocrisy, although there’s bound to be some of that. (Freud would surely have a field day if anyone wanted to dig him up.) But that’s not my beef: being completely in denial about emergent sexuality, hinging all discussion of emergent sexuality on girls’ virginity, failing to have adequate models of emergent female and male sexuality, and consequently failing to prepare to help children cope when their sexuality emerges is a problem because it will serve them ill in adulthood. Which lasts 50-80 years compared to the handful of years of actual sexual emergence.

Prosecuting girls, and disregarding boys, for expressing sexuality isn’t just stupid or wrong, it’s evidence of child neglect at a societal level. Heck, just getting hysterical about it in the first place is a problem, instead of, oh, say, anticipating that it might happen and, you know, having a plan and maybe even comprehensive curriculum developed to deal with it.

Update: Just to be clear: the answer to which is better, prosecution or ignoring it the answer is neither. It’s possible (and, I think, necessary) to react appropriately and child-developmentally without overreacting.