The most prominent case is of Philip Albert, an 18-year-old Floridian who, after a particularly nasty break-up with his ex-girlfriend, . One of the recipients was his ex-girlfriend's grandparents. When police busted Albert, he was sentenced to five years of probation and was obligated to register as a sex offender -- a label he'll carry for the next 25 years. The girl was never charged.

Similar cases are sprouting wherever you turn. A after e-mailing naked photos of herself to a 27-year-old man on MySpace -- the 27-year-old, meanwhile, was charged only with "unlawful sexual activity."

In Virginia, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were after investigators discovered sexted messages on at least seven cell phones. One of them contained an image of an elementary school student.

These examples are particularly vile. However, what of the who swapped explicit photos of themselves among themselves? Though technically viewed as illegal behavior, the incident could also be construed as a naïve exchange between young people oblivious to the far-reaching consequences.

The list of cases goes on and on. According to USA Today, . The practice has reached epidemic proportions. Many of the guilty aren't even aware they are committing a crime -- in Ohio, after several teens were busted for sexting, the perps were required to survey their peers to determine whether or not sexting was acknowledged as a crime. Of the 225 surveyed, only 31 knew.