SEXTING...

Let's talk about sexting! Over this past week while being home on vacation I heard the word “sexting“ on the news over and over. What is sexting someone might ask? Apparently, it is sending and/or receiving sexual images of yourself or other individuals via cell phones. As an adult, I can easily recognize the extreme dangers and harmful effects this may have on the individuals involved. However, what was being repeated on the news all week was the amount of middle school and high school children sexting. In fact, there was a fourteen year old girl who sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend and unfortunately her pictures were circulating among the web by the next day. All students were warned by the administration that anyone caught with these photos on their phone or caught sending these photos could be charged with child pornography. This is shocking because when I hear the words child pornography I think of adult predators, but with the increasing advancements of technology and how technology is so easily accessible to children today, these words can become associated with teenagers.

This term "sexting" is a prime example where as technology advances so must the education, rules, limits, consequences, and enforcements of technology advance as well. We as school leaders and parents must be further informed and educated on technology and more aware of what technology can be used for among our youth. Without recognizing and dealing with the advancements of technology we could be enabling our youth to participate in unlawful acts of harassment, defamation of character, and possible child pornography. If an individual is convicted of child pornography then they carry the term "sexual offender" with them for years to come. I do not think that children realize that their "sexting" acts could damage their character and destroy their future.