Should This 15-Year-Old YouTube Star Have Been Arrested for Allegedly "Sexually Exploiting" a 12-Year-Old?

Just when you thought that YouTube was strictly for a cappella covers and makeup tutorials.

Steven Fernandez, a 15-year-old skateboarder and YouTube star, was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly sexually exploiting an underage girl, according to TMZ. Steven, who hails from Compton, supposedly met up with a 12-year-old girl in the city and promised to "introduce her to big name celebs in exchange for sexual acts." TMZ reports that the girl agreed and "a sexual act was committed." Steven was arrested shortly after, along with his friend, 27-year-old skater Keelan Dadd, and Steven's 22-year-old manager, Jose Barajas.

First of all, what is a young teenage boy doing with "friends" who are twice his age? Think about it. Steven isn't that much older than this girl and though that doesn't excuse his actions altogether, this would be a situation between kids had there been no influence from the men involved. Knowing all of this, would Steven have even thought of sexually exploiting a girl had his adult "friends" not been around? Should he have even been arrested?

Before you decide one way or the other, here's something else to consider: a disturbing interview that Steven, whose nickname is Baby Scumbag, gave to Vice two years ago. At just 13, he talked about all of the older women (20+) he meets on Instagram who want to be in his videos, shouted out PornHub, and revealed that "a little masturbation" is a part of his everyday routine. Oh, and he opened up about his dream "to have a 12-inch cock and to be a porn star."

Steven clearly doesn't know how to treat women, hence his gross videos on how to get girls. Steven also hangs around older guys who seem to be more involved with him than his parents are. He has over 700,000 YouTube subscribers and over a million Instagram followers, so are his parents not concerned with the brand their son has created for himself?

Keep in mind that Steven's 15. At that age, his appalling quotes and actions could just be a cry for attention.

There are a lot of factors that come into play, but ultimately it seems that we're talking about a boy who is subject to a variety of negative influences. How accountable is he really? Two men were involved in all of this. They knew exactly what they were doing when they let a 15-year-old boy pick up a 12-year-old girl.

The LAPD refers to Steven as the "prime mover" in this scenario. Det. Ninette Toosbuy of the West Valley Detective Division said, "It’s unusual that we would release the name and photo of an arrested minor, but state law provides for such exceptions in cases where the perpetrator sexually targeted minors.”

So, is Steven still just a kid or a malicious criminal? In a world as fast as the Internet, who's looking out for the youth?

Find out more here as the story develops, and tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.