Scientists now agree that the human brain doesn’t stop developing until our late teens or early twenties. What does that mean? During our teen years, we have peer pressure, the confidence of a few good decisions, and our own ego telling us we know what we’re doing. Science, however, tells us that teens have little thought or appreciation for the consequences of their actions. (This is also why so many teens have driving accidents, fail to do their homework, get pregnant, etc.)Sexting is usually described as sending sexually explicit photos and text via MMS – although social media site such as Facebook have been used for the same purpose. Unfortunately, sexting is primarily a practice among young adults (with a few middle-school students participating as well) – the very same people with yet developing brains. Our kids are sexting with little to no appreciation for the consequences. Here a a few:
Permanent Embarrassment. No one can control where the photo goes. Images can pass easily proliferate from cell phones to the internet, from one social site to another, in a matter of minutes. Hundreds of thousands of people may see a sexted photo in a few hours. Further, no data can never be completely erased from the internet; it lives forever.
Prosecution and Felony Charges. There is no substantial difference between sexting and child-pornography. Even privately between two individuals, sexting is a crime punishable by state prosecution.
Youth Suicide. The embarrassment from a sexual image being made public is very serious. Sexting can be fatal. The social stigma and shame from being made into a public spectacle has caused young adults and children to commit suicide.
What to Report:
Anyone you don’t know who asks you for personal information, photos or videos.
Unsolicited obscene material from people or companies you don’t know.
Misleading URLs on the Internet that point you to sites containing harmful materials rather than what you were looking for.
Anyone who wants to send you photos or videos containing obscene content of individuals 18 and younger. (The possession, manufacturing, or distributing of child pornography is illegal.)
Online enticement for offline sexual activities. (No one should be making sexual invitations to you online – and it’s an especially serious crime for adults to do it.)