It has been all over the news recently. I was listening to an NPR show a few days ago that featured the topic and talk shows are running segments, all warning us of "sexting".
Sexting is sending naked, semi naked or sexually oriented pictures of oneself (or someone else) over a cell phone. And teenagers are sending them out in droves.
Not only are they sending them to friends, but the friends are then resending them, downloading them to websites and emailing them out en masse.
What's the problem, here, in addition to the obvious? Teens who are sending them can be charged with distribution of pornography, child pornography, harassment and other serious offenses.
Girls are major offenders in this arena. Six girls in Pennsylvania, ages 14 and 15 have been charged with distribution of child pornography and the older boys they sent the pictures to are being charged with possession of such.
These are consequences that will change a person's life forever, deciding what work they will do, where they can live and with whom.
While many believe these laws too rigid, considering the circumstances, the law takes time to catch up with technology; there may be cause to change the charges, due to the circumstances. But child pornography is still child pornography - no matter who is involved.
Why are America's teens obsessed with sending each other pictures of their naked bodies? One teen on a talk show felt that after receiving a naked photo on her phone from a grown man, it was only polite to send one back. Young logic, eh?
A recent survey of more than 1200 teens by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that 20% had sent sexually explicit pictures of themselves via their cellphones.
Those who are not being charged with these felonies are risking that these pictures will be distributed worldwide, causing long term and perhaps permanent consequences.
Why on earth would anyone take this kind of risk?
A variety of reasons, from exhibitionism and a risk-taking high, to peer pressure and the hyper-sexualization of our society - and our children.
Parents can help by disallowing their children to have cell phones, or at minimum cell phones with cameras. Checking cell phone bills can help a parent investigate what the phones are being used for - and there are security options that allow texts, videos and pictures to be copied and sent to a parent's email account. Firm discipline and accountability can't hurt either.
Does this infringe on a kid's privacy? It might. As a parent, should we care?
A parent's job is to protect her child - sometimes from him or herself. When he or she is an adult, he or she can have all the privacy the laws afford! Until then, what they do, say and text, is very much our business.
Tell Us
Are you aware of the "sexting" craze? Will it change your views on your children having cell phones and how they use them?
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Susan, thank you for a really informative share.
I cringe when I think of young girls feeling that their bodies are something to be taken so lightly. I mean, the obvious criminal aspects of this are frightening enough, in terms of how it can ruin a young person's life. But it seems like somewhere along the way a major message was missed if a teen girl doesn't respect herself enough to keep her body private.
It's ironic to me that this exists in a world that has, in recent years, done so much to try to combat sexual abuse of children, teaching them about "bad touching" and that their bodies are no one's business but their own. It seems to be in direct opposition that a child who learns that would then grow a few years older and think it's ok to send a sexually suggestive photo over the phone.
It reminds me of a couple of years back when the talk shows were first full of teens thinking that oral sex wasn't really sex and was "no big deal." Many teen girls claimed to think there was nothing wrong with having oral sex with a boy -- and that it was completely different from intercourse. They seemed to take it almost impersonally. Some said it was a way for them to stay abstinent.
There must be an aspect of that going on here. They must not see these photographs as demeaning or as compromising, even though adults know they are. And they certainly don't realize the implications of what happens when those photographs travel from phone to phone or get put up on the internet.
February 24, 2009 - 9:37amThis Comment
WOW! I guess you really don't think of these things until they are in print or someone is caught doing these things. Child Pornography carries a high sentence rate in a court as well as places you on a sex offender list and even a felony record for life.
This is certainly a topic that needs to be shared with children about this craze. For parents, there must be a way to cease the picture sharing capabilities on the children's phones. Another solution would be to purchase cellphones that do not have cameras.
This is a horrible and serious matter that cannot be handled lightly. This sort of criminal case could ruin an underage individual.
Thank you for sharing this story. Cellphone carriers should also be cautious of this situation since they are the carriers of the child pornography. I can see a lawyer having a field day with this claim.
February 21, 2009 - 10:19amThis Comment