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Mixed messages

While screening minors from explicit sexual content is to be welcomed, sexting between consenting adults is a different matter and privacy laws should protect people's rights.

China and the United States are simultaneously cracking down on sexting - sending sexually related messages or photos via mobile phone.

There are differences, though. In China, it is part of a broader campaign to eradicate sexual content from all digital distribution channels. In the US, the focus is on teenagers who send photos of their private parts and end up being harassed.

Suffice it to say, if a teenager in China did that and fell victim, there would be little sympathy for him or her. Witness the Edison Chen incident. Even though the Hong Kong star is an adult and his notebook was hacked, which resulted in the dissemination of his sexually explicit photos, his career has been put on infinite hold.

Cultural and ethical mores differ from country to country.

Unlike the US, China did not have a pornography industry before the age of the Internet - at least not since 1949. Lurid photos and videos came as a big shock. Depending on which side you take in the sexual liberation debate, this is either the best or the worst fallout from a technological revolution. It is definitely going to reshape moral values down the road.

Sexting started in China earlier than in the US because text messaging was adopted as a mainstream mode of communication first on these shores. There have been periodic efforts to target it as a harmful medium. The new campaign is marked by simplicity: If you send out a sex message, your service will be suspended.