A 14-year old boy from the UK has become the youngest person in the country to be prosecuted for revenge porn. The boy, now 16, faced a youth court in Plymouth, Devon after he was caught selling nude pictures of his ex-girlfriend, then aged 14, to a friend on Facebook.

The Telegraph reports that he had around 170 images in total and was planning to distribute more of them before police intervened after receiving a complaint from the girl. The court heard that the boy accidentally sent an image to his friend, who then asked for more. He paid £10 for the photos and stored them on his computer.

After facing serious charges, including possessing indecent photographs of a child, the defendants were given 12-month referral orders, told to pay £100 in costs and ordered to compensate the victim.

Andy Phippen, professor of social responsibility in IT at Plymouth University said he was pleased that the case reached court. "It's encouraging it has gone to court," he told the Telegraph. "Most incidents like this the victim wouldn't have thought to complain. It's encouraging the victim has taken it to court and that they can feel like they can come forward. The fact is young people are unlikely to get much education around this sort of thing, but you need to reflect on whether this is an acceptable thing to do."

McAfee conducted research last year that revealed that 54% of internet users had sent nude pics online. However, teenagers have unpredecented access to the same technology that adults do, meaning that they may need extra education on the implications of sending nudes at an age when psychological damage can leave lasting scars.

The infrastructure for sex education in the UK has been widely criticised. A study carried out by sexual health organisation Brook in November 2011, criticised sex education in schools, saying that "the curriculum focuses on the pure mechanics of reproduction, at the expense of the contextual topics that underpin sex and sexuality – personal confidence, relationships and emotions."

Just over three years later, it appears that nothing has changed. In order to avoid damaging cases such as this one, maybe teenagers need more advice on sex beyond putting a condom on a cucumber.

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