This past week two students from a local high school were arrested and questioned in regard to a trend called "sexting". This is a form of texting where students take nude pictures of themselves with their camera phones and then text them out to each other. As parents and mentors of students we really need to be aware of some of the things they are doing and be able to address our concerns about these things with our students. It is very difficult to even buy a phone today that doesn't have a camera on it, and most of our students thrive in communication with texting, but there are a few things parents can do to lessen the chance that their students are invoved in this new battle. First and foremost, talk to your kids about it. Let them know you are aware of what is going on and get their take on it. Open the lines of communication so they are not afraid to come to you if someone were to send them a picture like this. Also let them know your expectations about the types of messages they are sending over text. Having these conversations helps them to know that you are available and open to talking about it. Most teenagers won't want to have the conversation at first, but it is important that you push the issue...not from a "do this...don't do that" mentality, but from the perspective of helping them to see their self-worth and the dangers of getting involved in this type of activity.
As of yet, there are no laws to directly prosecute those who send pictures like this. However, the students who were arrested this week were charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors and the prosecutor is looking to head a charge to get some laws passed directly dealing with this type of behavior.
I also have attached a link to a story from the Today Show about a local teen who hung herself last year after being harassed by a group of students over some pictures she sent to her boyfriend that got out. This is a serious issue that we need to address with our teens!! Please let me know if you'd like more information about it.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29546030/
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