Three juveniles charged with creating and distributing intimate images, police say

BERWYN, Pa. (AP) -- Three middle school students in suburban Philadelphia have been charged with distributing pornographic pictures and videos of classmates, and more children could be charged, police said Tuesday.

Tredyffrin Township police said the children charged in the case range in age from 11 to 15. The images they distributed were of students who attended Valley Forge Middle School, in Wayne, and Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School, in Berwyn, from April to the present.

The charges include transmission of sexually explicit images by a minor, unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a communications facility. Some of the charges are felonies.

Many of the photos and videos were created by the children in their own homes, police said. In most cases, students voluntarily sent images and videos of themselves to other children, but in some instances the images were sent to strangers online, police said.

"Incidents such as these are greatly concerning, especially due to its impact on young victims and their families," said Superintendent of Police Anthony Giaimo. "We urge parents to take a very active role in monitoring Internet and cell usage on the part of their children."

Police said the location services setting on the defendants' phones were activated at the time the images were taken, which could potentially allow any viewer to exactly pinpoint where they w