Neil Ross, 31, from Glasgow, pled guilty to charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour and was sentenced yesterday at Alloa Sheriff Court. He has been placed on the sex offenders' register.
It is said to be the first time that someone has been convicted of sexual offences committed against a person in a different room to the abuser.
Ross, a father of two, joined an internet chat room where, pretending to be 19, he began exchanging messages with the girl, who has not been named. According to The Scotsman, Ross "performed a sex act on himself as he watched the girl undress and pose in a sexually explicit manner via a live web link."
Scotland does not yet have a law that specifically counters threats posed to children by the internet, although the Scottish Executive is currently pushing through The Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill.
This will create a new offence of sexual "grooming" of a person under 16 by an adult aged 18 or over.
A grooming offence already exists in England and Wales, contained in the Sexual Offences Act of 2003.