Editor 's note : Mike Galanos hosts `` Prime News '' from 5-7 p.m . ET Mondays through Fridays on HLN . `` Prime News '' uses the day 's most powerful headlines as a starting point for diverse perspectives , spirited debate and your points of view . Mike Galanos says child pornography charges are too harsh for teens caught `` sexting . '' ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- `` Sexting . '' Have parents out there ever even heard of this term ? Whether you want to admit it or not , teenagers are sending sexual messages and naked pictures of themselves to their boyfriends and girlfriends . In most cases it 's the girl sending a picture or message to the guy . If you 're thinking to yourself right now , `` What 's the big deal ? '' then you should think again . This practice can ruin our teenagers ' lives . Six teens in Greensburg , Pennsylvania , were charged as juveniles with possessing child pornography after three girls sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to three boys . It gets even worse . A 13-year-old boy in Middletown , Ohio , is facing felony pandering obscenities charges after taping a sex act and showing it to friends at a skating party . A felony ? Yes this kid needs to be punished but we do n't need our 13 or 14-year-olds charged with child porn and lumped in with adult pedophiles and labeled as sex offenders . I 've spoken with several attorneys on our show and it seems there is no one reason prosecutors are opting to charge teens with child porn instead of lesser charges . Some may be doing it to `` send a message . '' Some may feel they have an obligation to charge these teens with the most serious offense possible and , according to the law , naked pictures of underage kids are usually considered child porn . And others may feel they are left with no options since there are n't really any laws that apply specifically to sexting . In any case , it 's clear we need to change our laws to catch up with technology . A great illustration of why change is needed now is the story of Phillip Alpert , of Orlando , Florida . He did n't ask , but his girlfriend sexted him naked pictures of herself , according to the Orlando Sentinel . When they broke up , he mass e-mailed the photos to get back at her . Alpert , 18 , was convicted of transmission of child porn and he will carry the label of `` sex offender '' until he is 43 . He lost friends , was kicked out of school , he ca n't even move in with his dad because his dad lives near a school . Should Phillip be punished ? Yes . Should the six teens in Pennsylvania face consequences ? Yes . But let 's kick them off cheerleading squads and sports teams . Make them do community service and take classes on sex crimes . Educate other teens on the dangers of sexting . Pay a price , yes , but these young people should n't pay for this for the rest of their lives . And if you think this could n't happen to your kid , think again . Sexting is more prevalent than you think . The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy teamed up with CosmoGirl.com and asked over 1,200 teens about their sexual behaviors in cyberspace . According to their study , 39 percent of teens ( that 's ages 13-19 ) are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages over IM , text or e-mail and around the same number of teens are receiving such messages . Half of those teens , 20 percent , are sending or posting nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves . That 's frightening . Why are our kids doing this ? On our show , psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser said , `` What I 'm finding is a lot of girls are doing this because they 're hoping it will help them get or keep a boyfriend . '' The numbers agree with Stacy . According to the study , 51 percent of girls say it 's `` pressure from guys '' that 's making them send sexual messages and pictures of themselves . So guys are expecting this and our girls are saying `` OK. '' It makes me wonder how much progress we 've really made in how young women are viewed and treated . The bottom line : We need to educate , not incarcerate , our teens and it has to start with parents . Do n't let the culture indoctrinate your little boy or girl about sex before their time . So strike first as a parent . If your kids are older , let them know a digital record is for life . When little Suzie tries to win the affection of little Bobby by sexting him a picture , she is putting her future at stake . There is no control over that image or video once it gets out . But that does n't mean little Suzie should be charged as a child pornographer . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mike Galanos .
Mike Galanos : Teens are sending explicit photos of themselves to other kids . He says parents should be aware of what 's happening and educate children . Galanos : Sexting should be punished but not treated as child pornography .