Sexting Pics Live Forever, Teens Warned

The critical problem with sexting is that salacious snaps teens send of themselves from their cell phones can exist forever in cyberspace. That's the message Australian authorities are stressing in a new educational anti-sexting campaign. Nude pictures sent in fun could end up being posted on the Internet by sexual predators years later or could scuttle job prospects if spotted online by potential employers, reports Reuters.

"An innocent joke or harmless flirting can be very damaging if it falls into the wrong hands," warned an official. "It is frightening to think that once these images are online or on a phone, anyone anywhere in the world can access them." Sexting is an increasing problem as parents and law enforcement authorities struggle to cope with the phenomenon. Some teens have been charged with child pornography for sending nude photos of themselves. (More teen sex stories.)