 Spring
2009
Sexting
The sending of sexually explicit material (pictures
or text) via SMS a.k.a. text messaging.
Below is a message from NetSmartz.org and the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The Truth about Sexting
May of last year, we first brought you
news
of an emerging trend among young people—the sharing of
sexual images and texts through cell phones, commonly
known as SEXTING. Due to the widespread availability
of mobile technology, the sky-high hormone levels of
young people, and the difficulty that they can have
understanding the consequences of their decisions,
not-so-innocent text messages are being sent from cell
phones all over America.
It’s particularly distressing when the consequences of
sexting get so out of hand that a teenager feels the
only solution is suicide. When Jesse Logan pressed
‘send’ from her cell phone, she did not imagine that an
audience beyond her boyfriend would receive her nude
pictures.
As trusted adults with a mission to protect children
online, engage your communities on the issue of sexting.
Share these tips with young people so that they are
better informed. To read more about the tragic story of
Jesse Logan, visit the NetSmartz
blog.
Tips to Prevent Sexting
·
THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES
of taking, sending, or forwarding a sexual picture of
someone underage, even if it’s of you. You could get
kicked off of sports teams, face humiliation, lose
educational opportunities, and even get in trouble with
the law.
·
NEVER TAKE
images of yourself that you wouldn’t want everyone—your
classmates, your teachers, your family, or your
employers—to see.
·
BEFORE HITTING SEND,
remember that you can’t control where this image may
travel. What you send to a boyfriend or girlfriend could
easily end up with their friends, and their friends, and
their friends…
·
IF YOU FORWARD
a sexual picture of someone underage, you are as
responsible for this image as the original sender. You
could face child pornography charges, go to jail, and
have to register as a sex offender.
·
REPORT
any nude pictures you receive on your cell phone to an
adult you trust. Do not delete the message. Instead, get
your parents or guardians, teachers, and school
counselors involved immediately.
Got an idea for the
Monthly Spotlight Page? Please email them to us
at: spotlight@brocktonpolice.com
|
