ORLANDO, Fla. – Apparently, neither the national obssession with the issue of sexting nor the growing trend itself, in which teens send sexy and even sexually-explicit pictures to one another on their cell phones, is abating. In fact, according to the results of a survey commissioned by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, 1 in 5 teens say they have engaged in the practice.

Now, according to CNN, Phillip Alpert, 18, has been labeled a ‘sex offender” after getting into a fight with his 16-year-old girlfriend and sending a nude photo of her to dozens of her friends and family.

While not exactly the smartest or most civil thing to do, the question facing not only the young man but also the country is the extent to which children should be found criminally liable for acts such as this, especially when they share images of themselves.

Such is the case in Pennsylvania, where a prosecutor’s threat to charge two 14-year-olds with child pornography has garnered national attention as well as the ire of the girls’ parents over the charges.

“Wyoming County district attorney George Skumanick Jr. said his office is considering filing charges against two girls who, on a hot night last summer, decided to strip down to their underwear, at which point a third friend took a picture of the two in their white bras,” MTV.com reported. “The image ended up on classmates’ cell phones, and now Skumanick is thinking about charging Marissa Miller and Grace Kelly with offenses ranging from “sexual abuse of children in Pennsylvania, criminal [use] of a communications facility, or open lewdness,” as well as other possible crimes.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit to block any attempts to file charges against the girls, but while most observers believe Skumanick’s threats are over the top, there is anything but a national consensus about what to do about the larger phenomenon going forward. Indeed, many leading pundits are of the opinion parents need to be held accountable for the actions of their children. Some even believe parents should be charged with child pornography in cases where minors record images or videos of sexually explicit acts.

Alpert’s attorney, First Amendment and adult-industry heavyweight Larry Walters, said he will fight to get his client removed from Florida’s sex offender registry, especially in light of the fact the names of sex offenders in Florida are readily available online.

“Sexting is treated as child pornography in almost every state, and it catches teens completely offguard because this is a fairly natural and normal thing for them to do,” Walters told CNN. “It is surprising to us as parents, but for teens it’s part of their culture.”

Alpert added, “I am a sex offender. If you type my name into the search engine online, you will find me.”

Under Florida law, Alpert will be labeled a sex offender until he is 43 years old.

Read the Sexting survey here.