Sophisticated cell phones that have built-in digital cameras make children more vulnerable to exploitation than ever before, as it was announced by law enforcement authorities. 

That’s why several legislative bills were signed by Gov. Pat Quinn, coming into law Monday. These bills include legislation which protects minors from sexually explicit images through "sexting." This new term, sexting, means an activity when a person sends sexually explicit photos or messages via cell phone on the Internet.

The package of legislation also included new laws to protect children from Internet-based sex offenders who use chat rooms to engage in sex acts with someone whom they believe to be a child, and new registration requirements for convicted sex offenders.

At present, the only laws which address "sexting" are those involving child pornography, with often harsh punishments.

The new bill provides a standalone remedy for police and prosecutors that does not place the minor in the same felony category as child sex pornographers, which has required minors to register as sex offenders.

According to some official data, 20% of teens have transmitted a sexually explicit photo over their cell phone or computer, while 39% of teens have forwarded explicit text messages.

Signing the law, the authorities underline parents need to understand the technology and to be aware of what their children post online.