Hundreds of teens in the Upper Peninsula used social media to share sexually explicit photos of each other, state police say.

MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI - The county prosecutor has declined to file charges after a state police investigation showed that hundreds of students used social media to share sexually explicit photos of each other.

Prosecutor Matt Wiese said the activity could be considered unlawful but he determined that is not what child-pornography laws were intended for.

He said state police Sgt. Jay Peterson found that hundreds of students - from Gwinn, Ishpeming, Marquette, Negaunee, Republic and Westwood schools in the Upper Peninsula's Marquette County - were involved in transmitting sexual explicit images to one another.

"This investigation began with a few students and quickly expanded to multiple school districts involving hundreds of students," Peterson said.

"Superintendents, principals, students, and parents have cooperated with surrendering phones and other electronic devices so that the explicit material could be removed."

In declining to file charges, Wiese said in a statement that "this activity could technically be considered child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime."

But, he said, "This type of activity by high school students, although certainly inappropriate, is not what the law intended to criminalize."

He said he believed that parents and school officials will impress upon teens that the activity was inappropriate and could be criminal.

The state police sergeant plans to meet with school superintendents this week and discuss plans to increase public awareness. Programs or assemblies for students are being considered.

The sergeant and prosecutor encouraged parents to talk to their children about the inappropriateness of exchanging sexually explicit photos or videos. Social media can "normalize" such activity for teens, they said.

"Be aware that although the images may seem to disappear from the phone or device, they remain on the servers of the social media platform used by students. My investigation revealed that once the image was released, the student who is depicted lost total control of who else shared that image, where it went, and who could view the image," Peterson said in a statement.

Poster Comment:

In declining to file charges, Wiese said in a statement that "this activity could technically be considered child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime."

But, he said, "This type of activity by high school students, although certainly inappropriate, is not what the law intended to criminalize."

Some common sense shown by this prosecutor.