Before you hit send
Sexting consequences can be far-reaching, officials warn parents, teensBy Amanda Clegg, aclegg@altoonamirror.com,
Article Photos
A photo is forever, warns Nils Frederiksen.
A nude snapshot sent through picture messaging on cell phones can reach out to anyone, anywhere, and the sender can never get it back.
"These are things that could come back to haunt you," said Frederiksen, spokesman for the state Attorney General's office.
Area students and parents received a lesson in teens and technology from the state office last week at Claysburg-Kimmel and Portage Area schools in an attempt to prevent their students from taking part in the activity known as sexting.
Assemblies with Craig LeCadre, a state Attorney General's Office outreach specialist, were held during the day for students, and a parent session was held at Portage Elementary School in the evening.
"Our whole goal is to try to educate the parents on some of these topics to open a dialogue with their children," Portage Area Junior/Senior High Principal Ralph Cecere said.
He said students and parents need to realize the responsibility that comes with advancing technology.
Minor issues such as cell phones disrupting class have come up in the district, which is taking the proactive approach, he said.
Other area schools are addressing the issue, as well.
The Altoona Area school board adopted a sexting policy last month instructing students to immediately delete messages containing sexual content, including nude photos.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss any student discipline cases," district spokesman Tom Bradley wrote in an e-mail response to questions concerning any incidents within the district.
"Sexting has not been a problem here this year, and we continually warn kids about issues like these."
Besides possible criminal charges for possessing child pornography, the policy states students can face suspension, and the district can confiscate the phone and destroy an image.
Frederiksen said sexting can become a criminal offense when photographs of underage subjects are involved - as was the case with six Greensburg teens charged with child pornography in juvenile court in January.
Greensburg police said teen girls sent nude or semi-nude cell phone photos of themselves to teen boys, and Greensburg Salem High School officials found the photos after seizing a student's phone.
Frederiksen said the consequences don't stop with criminal charges against the teens, either.
"You're putting the devices in their hands," he said of parents. He said, legally, the phone is in the parent's name.
Frederiksen said photos sent through a cell phone can end up online and can even turn away potential employers. He said photos taken in someone's teen years could end up in the sight line of co-workers, enemies and future family members.
"Be very careful because there is no undo button for that type of thing," he said.
Even deleted photos are not gone forever, Frederiksen said.
Penn State Altoona career services director Rebecca Maguda said employers are using Spokeo.com - a search engine which digs through social networks for information - to search out job candidates.
"Be aware of what you put out there," she said.
For more information on outreach and education programs from the Attorney General's Office, call 800-525-7642.
|
theadvocate
|
|
|---|---|
|
05-19-09 3:25 PM
|
wow, reading my own post, I sound like a love child from the 60's. Oh well so be it, but I wasn't one of the
|
|
theadvocate
|
|
|
05-19-09 3:25 PM
|
wow, reading my own post, I sound like a love child from the 60's. Oh well so be it, but I wasn't one of the
|
|
theadvocate
|
|
|
05-19-09 3:23 PM
|
I really don't think nudity is the question. I have no problem accepting those who choose to practice the naturist lifestyle. I have been to those places and find it not a sex defining visit. Nudism and naturists have the right idea, if it is supposed to be taboo, most want to experience it in some way. Which drives sex more, sexy clothing enticing the opposite sex and creating the thought process to want more? Or a nudist with everything exposed and open and nothing to hide? I am not advocating either way, I am very interested in the public view of this lifestyle.
|
|
textcop
|
|
|
05-18-09 9:00 PM
|
The kids don't need to be that restricted, with a trac phone they can still text but cannot take pictures. Texting is one of the teenagers things they love to do. I talk to teens all the time and they say their parents teach them that there is nothing wrong with nudity. Parents also need to teach that nudity to some is *********** others. Sexting should be out of the question. Society pressures young girls to be sexy. Mother's are buying young daughters Victoria Secret underwear for "fun" but are sending the wrong message to the girls. These young girls in turn want to show "sexy" pictures to all their friends. In the wrong hands this is very dangerous. We need to talk to our kids. Explain what a child predator is and how their pictures get to the net. Just like the Mom who said it was her daughters right of passage on spring break to show her breasts and then was shocked that it showed up on the girls gone wild DVD and then wanted to sue the company. Mixed messag
|
|
theadvocate
|
|
|
05-18-09 4:14 PM
|
Come on people, lets just take the phone from our children, after all they have not been able to think for themselves, we have done that for them. I remember raising my children and worrying if they were ok. No way to contact them, just worry as a dad. They knew right from wrong but I am not naive enough to think as they developed a curiosity about things they did not explore. I believe you can turn off the ability to send pictures, but then how would you be able to be sure they were where they said they were? Please understand I say most of this tongue in cheek....
|
|
1966254
|
|
|
05-18-09 12:33 PM
|
Kids in junior and senior high school are old enough to know better. They just do as they see fit. Today it would be very hard to try to find a phone that does not take pictures. Your best bet is to have the provider of service turn off the texting. If there is an emergency they can call, they do not need to text. This will also be safer for when they are driving. Also when driving they do not need to be talking on the phone. I can not count the times I have nearly been hit by someone busy talking on the phone. Driving is a full time job and all your attention needs to be there.
|
|
SoOvrObama
|
|
|
05-18-09 8:42 AM
|
Parents be smart. You pay the bill. Don't allow texting on the phone. Your phone company can make it so phones can't receive or send text messages. That is the best route til these kids grow up.
|
|
textcop
|
|
|
05-18-09 2:56 AM
|
Raising children with good moral values would most times prevent this. Parents who think this a "young and dumb" thing and think it will not matter once they graduate are sadly mistaken. Kids are very good at manipulating parents into thinking nothing is going on, so check the places your kids are going on line and on the phones. I also think it would be a good idea to ban phones from locker rooms where a child can be photographed with their knowledge. Do the smart thing and give them a phone that pictures cannot be taken. Cell phones are a good saftey device for a child, if they need to call you, but is a picture taking phone that necessary?
|