FBI called in over teen sex clip

Victorian police and the FBI are investigating sexually explicit images of a teenage girl posted on popular social networking site MySpace.

The investigation centres around sexually explicit self-portraits taken by the girl, 13, who sent them to her then boyfriend, 17.

Another girl, also 13, obtained the images and uploaded them to a false MySpace account created in the victim's name.

The images were then circulated.

Bacchus Marsh police became involved about two months ago after a complaint was made by the victim.

Moorabool Criminal Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Tony Coxall said the case was a stark reminder to parents to monitor and talk to their children about the potential dangers of the internet.

The 13-year-old who created the false MySpace account has since been cautioned while the former boyfriend is facing charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and procuring child pornography .

"It shows how quickly things can spiral out of control," Detective Sergeant Coxall said.

"The message to parents is to keep your computers that your kids are using in a public place, promote open and honest rules as to what they are accessing, downloading and putting on the computer.

"Kids are posting images, you can do it as a joke but the problem is it never goes away. It can come back and bite you two months down the track or 20 years down the track. The internet is a powerful thing, it's a great thing, but it can also be very dangerous."

Bacchus Marsh police contacted the FBI so MySpace could be ordered to close the false account.

Detective Sergeant Coxall said the investigation was ongoing and parents should discuss with their children what they were uploading about themselves to sites like MySpace and Facebook.

"One act done on the internet creates a record that is not only traceable but the likelihood is that the images are never actually erased."