The Top 10 Everything of 2009

Give a kid a cellphone, and this is what you get. "Sexting," a portmanteau for "sex-texting," describes the act of sending suggestive (sometimes downright lewd) messages or photos via phone. To the horror of 100% of American parents, more than 25% of teenagers polled in an Associated Press-MTV survey in November admitted to sexting, while one-third of young adults fessed up to dirty dialing. But as six high schoolers in Greensburg, Pa., found out in January, sexting is not all fun and games. The Pennsylvania kids were among dozens of minors charged with child pornography in 2009 after authorities discovered nude photos of children (fellow classmates) on their phones. Their case was settled in juvenile court in March. The kids got curfews and community service.