If ever there was a "hot button issue"..sexting fits the bill. It has peaked the curiosity..ire and concern of everyone from parents to school administrators to policymakers to law enforcement and understandably..and believe it or not..mobile carriers. As you may know..sexting is generally defined as the act of sending sexually explicit photos via cell phones..or over other electronic devices..including computers.
In and of itself..sexting is eyebrow-raising. Add to the equation a sender or receiver who is under the age of eighteen and suddenly a problem of ever-growing proportions begins to appear. Getting the word out to kids about the possible ramifications of sexting is the key. Child pornography charges..a jail sentence and having to register as a sex offender should deter them from sending a racy photo of themselves or someone else. And..even if these legal repercussions were to disappear..the emotional fallout would remain as would the effects such a decision could have on their future.
The solution..SEXting EDucation.
A new study of teens by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said that 1 in 5 teens have used the new art of “sexting” in communicating suggestive..nude..or nearly nude photos through cell phone text messages or email.
Sexting by teens is a growing issue for parents. Most teens who sexted sent the photos to boyfriends or girlfriends..but a startling 11% sent them to complete strangers! Of teens who sexted..80% are under 18. Nearly all teens..91% are online. 60% have instant messaging..75% have a cell phone..and 72% have profiles on social networking sites like Facebook.
While teens seem to recognize the problems with sexting..they tend to do it anyway. One in four teens know of somebody who has had a problem with sexting..usually the sending of a picture around school. Others have been sexually victimized. As they say..numbers don't lie.
But..what do you do when companies launch commercials that may be construed as possible sexting?
It's no surprise that some..including Consumer Reports..are concerned about an advertisement for Microsoft's new Kin line of smart phones..targeted at social-network-crazy teens and young adults. At about 40 seconds into the commercial..a guy uses his Kin to snap a photo up his T-shirt and share it with his friends. The concerns forced Microsoft to pull the ad. Microsoft said it pulled the commercial after a barrage of complaints. It had appeared prominently on the Kin home page.
Click the TITLE to watch the Microsoft ad. Do you think this Kin commercial encourages sexting?
Sexting falls under the proverbial phrase..'You can't stop it..you can only hope to contain it.' Education and communication with the kiddos is very important. However..we all know..its just not the kids. THEREFORE..we all should be careful. No one wants to get their 15 minutes of fame via a website or cell phone.
Give me your thoughts. Always looking for feedback from my HALE'S ANGELS!
Kids will be kids. They have no idea what the ramifications are of their actions. Do you remember being a kid and being told not to do something but you did it anyway? I think your blog on materialism falls into this category. As kids, we survived without cell phones & computers. If we did not provide our children with these tools, they would not be able to do things that will have an effect on them for the rest of their lives...no matter how harmless they think it might be. What will kids be doing in 20 years from now?
ReplyDeleteMy daughter who was 16 at the time sent a picture with her and another girl topless.(But isn't that cool? We see Girl's Gone Wild advertised all the time!!) This picture made it around the entire school. It was awful! They took their phones and turned them over to the police. The number of students to get kicked out of school and have a record was unreal. They had no idea what charges they faced, nor did the guys who kept forwarding the picture to their friends. The age does make a lot of difference as to what charges are filed. I had to get an attorney and cost was not cheap. It was a nightmare, and the shame for her was hard. Parents please tell them a sex offender charge stays with them forever. The label will haunt them forever! Also, for the record don't have your phone out at school period once they have it ANYTHING on there can get you and your family in a hot mess!!
ReplyDelete