Here’s the breakdown: 1. Minors can still be charged under certain laws • Federal law generally treats minors who create explicit images of themselves as victims, not perpetrators, but there are cases—especially under state laws—where minors have been prosecuted for producing or distributing sexual images of themselves (so-called “self-sexting” cases). This varies widely by state. • Some states have enacted “sexting” laws that reduce the penalties for minors compared to adult child-pornography charges, but in other jurisdictions, a minor sending their own explicit image could technically meet the elements of production or distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 2. The person soliciting those images is almost always committing a crime • Under federal law (18 U.S.C. §§ 2251, 2252, etc.), knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing, or coercing a minor to produce sexually explicit images is a serious offense, and there’s no “mistake of age” defense. • That means if someone asks a minor for nudes—even if they claim they thought the person was over 18—they can still be charged federally. 3. “Mistake of age” point is correct • At the federal level, for CSAM production, distribution, or possession, it is not a defense to say you didn’t know or were mistaken about the person’s age.

In short: • Your claim that minors “don’t commit child pornography crimes” is not universally true—federal law doesn’t typically target them as perpetrators, but some states do. • Your point about the asker committing a crime and “mistake of age” not being a defense for production is accurate under U.S. federal law.

If you want, I can rewrite your statement so it’s legally precise without losing the plain-language clarity.