Maybe this has happened to you. Someone sends you a racy picture to your cell phone, and you decided to forward it to all your buddies. Seems harmless enough, but not when you are in high school, and the picture you sent is that of a minor. It is against the law and children are getting in serious trouble over it.
There have been a number of stories like this hitting the news lately. A teen in Florida by the name of Phillip Albert learned this lesson the hard way. He recently turned 18 years old, and after getting into a fight with his 16 year old girlfriend, decided to send his friends naked photos of her.
Albert was arrested by the Orlando police, and charged with distributing child pornography. He later pleaded no contest and was sentenced to five years probation. He is also required by the state to register as a sex offender. A stupid lapse in judgment that may haunt this young man the rest of his life.
The National Campaign to Support Teens and Unplanned Pregnancy completed a survey that showed 20% of teens admitted to sending nude photos with their cell phones. Almost 50% of those teens claimed they have received a sexually suggestive message on their phone.
The biggest problem with "Sexting" is most states and schools are not ready to handle this rising trend. There has been cases in Alabama, Wisconsin, and Maryland. Each case has been handled differently. Some teens got off with a warning or slap on the wrist. Others like an 8th grader in Texas did not. He spent a night in juvenile detention facility when his football coach found naked pictures on the youth's phone.
Jessica Logan an 18 year old Ohio student appeared on a local television station to talk about her ordeal. She had a messy break up with her boyfriend, when he decided to send out naked photos of her. She was harassed at school, with classmates calling her names like slut and whore. Two months later she couldn't take it anymore. Her mother found her in her room, she had hung herself and her cell phone was near by.
Stories like these are a call to arms for parents to get more involved with their children's lives. Website like WebWiseKids.com is a good way to start. They have information for children and adults. You can even find a video on the topic. But remember it all starts at home.
Should teens be treated as adults for sexting?
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Posted on Apr 21st 2009
By randyboise
Absolutely! We are not talking sending dirty messages, (that is sexting), we are talking sending naked pictures of teens. Hundreds of thousands of adults are in prisons for doing it, so welcome aboard teens! You cannot act dumb and say u didn't know. Teens are now smarter technically than adults in this area and the ones I talk to have been sending porn for as long as cameras have been in cell phones, 10 years. Society cannot throw away an adult human for looking at porn on their home computer screen, then say 'silly teen' to a teen and let them go for exactly teh same act. And if u think it's an innocent act, why don't they send a picture with clothes on? they are trying to get the other person excited and groomed for a future sexual situation. Grow up America, ALL naked picture senders get a ''record'' or none can, selective prosecution is unconstitutional.... If u want to see that sending porn is legal for teens, then you MUST let the hundreds of thousands go in prisons for the exact same thing! It's all sexual in nature, period. Just changing the name to setting doesn't make it fine, or I can rob a bank and simply change the words to 'early withdrawal' and it's legal - NOT! There is no difference between sending to a computerized screen on a cell phone and a computerized screen on a computer at home. NO DIFFERENCE!
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Posted on Apr 21st 2009
By randyboise
We are not talking about sending dirty messages, (that is sexting), we are talking sending naked pictures of teens - PORN. Hundreds of thousands of adults are in prisons for doing it, so welcome aboard teens! Teens cannot act dumb and say they didn't know. Teens are now smarter technically than adults in this area and the ones I talk to have been sending porn for as long as cameras have been in cell phones, 10 years. Society cannot throw away an adult human for innocently looking at porn on their home computer screen, then say 'silly teen' to a teen human and let them go for exactly the same act.
Very few adults that look at porn at home go out and commit a crime, in fact, it's more likely that a teen looking at a naked picture on a cell phone or home computer will commit a sex crime becasue they do not have the restraints that an adult does (hopefully).
Teens have been doing this for ten years (at least), and sending them to all U.S. states and around the world - catch on, they are breaking the law, no excuses, or make it legal for all to do. And what if a child in Vermont sends one to a child in Texas? All states are legal, or none are legal. Home computers have been sending it (to and from minors) for 20 years, the cell phone just got cameras 10 years ago, now they are sending porn on cell phones - no difference.
If I rob a bank in a VW, or rob a bank in a Chevy, is there a difference? I robbed the bank! I sent porn! A modem in a cell phone and a modem in a home computer are the EXACT same vehicle of transmission, and ALL use Interstate phone lines so the federal government should say 'no' to sexting, period. Or any parent can simply say it's their child's phone. You know that families swap phones to go shopping, on a trip, etc. The parents will be in possession of the phone with naked pics in the memory, probably hidden in a file, but they are in possession of child porn and should be charged as well. Legal for all, or legal for none.
And if u think it's an innocent act, why don't they send a picture with clothes on? they are trying to get the other person excited and groomed for a future sexual situation. Grow up America, ALL naked picture senders get a ''record'' or none can, selective prosecution is unconstitutional.... If u want to see that sending porn is legal for teens, then you MUST let the hundreds of thousands go in prisons for the exact same thing! It's all sexual in nature, period. Just changing the name to setting doesn't make it fine, or I can rob a bank and simply change the words to 'early withdrawal' and it's legal - NOT!
***There is no difference between sending to a computerized screen on a cell phone and a computerized screen on a computer at home. NO DIFFERENCE! This opens the door to selling/using drugs by 15 year olds and saying the exact same excuses (just a silly teen, let them go)! Stealing a car! Shooting a gun! Robbing someone! So let all porn senders/lookers go or start building larger juvenile jails - because they are criminals, or let everyone send/receive porn. There is NO WAY that parents can control their own children on this or most subjects any more.
The parents are pressuring the prosecutors to let their children go because of sexting, fine, silly teen, slap on the wrist, but how about the adults that simply looked at teen porn free on their home computers with no ill-will in mind (there are hundreds of thousands of them in U.S. prisons right now). They lose a spouse, lose a house, lose a job, lose a career, lose their families, lose their lifetime of friends & savings - it's all the same. Legal for all or legal for none.
And do you really expect a teen to legally send porn for years, then they hit 18 and cannot do it any more?! That would be like telling teens that they can drink all they want in public, then at 18 they are criminals if they do it. MOST Homo sapiens will become addicted to a thrilling thing if they are allowed to do it unrestrained, and America's teens are no different. The prisons are full of people that simply looked at porn and their lives were ruined, now an entirely new generation will be legally aloud to create, send, and receive naked pictures of minors....
One news article said that this was simply a fad.... We are dealing with hormonal teens that now have a way to send or receive anything that they want, period. Wait until they grow up, you WILL NOT believe what type of society we have then! And well over 50% of children are molested by their own siblings or freinds, wait until those pictures get out.... The Gennie is out of the bottle. Don't believe me? Try taking a cell phone away from a teen....
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Posted on Jul 2nd 2009
By Flatspider
That's ridiculous. You can't draw parallels between porn and bank robbery. Porn is essientally a victimless crime. The few people that have died have been from malicious use of the pictures. In that scenario the offender should be charged with harassment and possibly manslaughter.
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