If you haven’t already heard about the controversy surrounding sexting, you will soon enough. While sexting isn’t a completely new phenomenon, it is making headlines because of its gain in popularity amongst teens. For those of you out of the technology loop, sexting is the sending of sexually suggestive messages or nude/semi-nude photos to other people via texts, IM, emails, etc.
Problems are arising from the sharing of those photos with other people, and in some cases have resulted in felony charges brought against the teens involved. Read this article on six Pennsylvania teens who got into serious trouble from sexting.
If you are someone who enjoys the use of technology, here are a few pointers to keep you safer in cyberspace:
• Assume the text, image, or message will be seen by others – Do you really want that message or image out there?
• Once in Cyberspace, always in Cyberspace – After pressing the send button, there’s no turning back…
• Consider your audience - How will the recipient feel about it? Do you think you’ll always feel the same way about him/her? What if he/she shares it with others?
• Nothing is truly anonymous – Tracking user names and personal information, no matter how basic, has become much easier.
Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
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