A 25-year-old man encouraged a 13-year-old girl to send him a nude picture of herself, a court heard.
The two met via the Twitter networking site and the victim, in her own mind, thought that Shane Wells was 16.
James Thomas, prosecuting, at Leicester Crown Court said they then exchanged phone texts, before speaking on the phone, often on a daily basis.
Mr Thomas said: "After a period of time he became aware she was 13 and at school.
"He truthfully told her he was 25.
"The nature of the messages went from friendly to sexually explicit exchanges.
"It developed to an extent where she sent him two photographs of herself, one partially clothed in underwear and the other completely naked.
"He reciprocated with pictures of himself.
"He's from the Kent area and she's from Leicestershire."
The two had also engaged in phone sex, but never met in person.
Wells, of Wakeley Road, Rainham, Kent, admitted possessing two indecent images of the girl and two counts of enciting a child to engage in sexual activity (over the phone) between February and June last year.
Now aged 26, Wells was given a 14 month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision, and a requirement to attend a sex offender programme.
He will have to enlist on a sex offender register for five years.
Judge Nicholas Dean QC said, after having read the inappropriate text exchanges: "Certainly there's encouragement from the defendant, but there's no sense of reluctant participation.
"But he was 25 and she was 13 and he should have known better.
"This is a rare case of its type where it's appropriate to suspend the sentence."
Gareth Weetman, mitigating, said Wells had no previous convictions and committed the offences out of immaturity whilst still living at his mother's home.
The police seized his computer and other communication devices and found no evidence of contact with other young girls.
Mr Weetman said: "He's been suffering from depression and self-harming, cutting his wrists and forearms.
"He's someone who needs guidance and assistance as well as punishment.
"He knows he should have ceased contact when he discovered her age and is remorseful.
"He understands how damaging the behaviour was to the victim."
The offences were discovered when the girl's mother became suspicious and asked a close friend to check her daughter's mobile phone.
