Sexting IS bad!

I do not write this blog to inflame or degrade parents, I write my opinion to hopefully help adults in kids' lives to give them the tools and critical thinking skills to choose right from wrong.

"Sexting" has become a popular phenomenon with far reaching ramifications. This type of texting involves people, mostly teens, sending explicit pictures to others via cell phones. While many teens view this as harmless it is far from it.

I believe society today has come full circle. The "60s" saw the development of the "I Feel Good" and "It's about me" era. History does indeed repeat itself. As a teacher, I have seen first hand how teens do not understand respect and responsibility not only for themselves but for others. I'm seen the "it's all about me" syndrome firsthand.

According to CNN, one young man is forever a sex offender. He got mad at his girlfriend and sent a "sext" to all his friends. This is distribution of child pornography. Since this young man was charged he will be labeled a sex offender for that distribution.

"Fifteen-year-old Marissa Miller of northeastern Pennsylvania was 12 when she and a friend snapped themselves wearing training bras. "I wasn't trying to be sexual," she says, "I was having fun with my friends at a sleepover, taking pictures, dancing to music." The picture recently surfaced on a student's cell phone and Marissa's mom, MaryJo Miller, was contacted by Skumanick. "He told me that he had a full nude photo of my daughter," says MaryJo Miller, who calls the picture innocent.

Rather than force her daughter to take the classes, which would have required she write a report explaining why what she did was wrong, Miller and two other families ­-- with the help of the ACLU -- are suing the district attorney to stop him from filing charges. "We believe she was the victim and that she did nothing wrong," says Miller. "How can I ask her to compromise her values and write this essay, when she didn't do anything?" - CNN.com

The above except from CNN gives "sexting" a whole new meaning for me. The parents believe their daughter is a victim and did nothing wrong. WHOA! In my opinion the child is not victim and did do something wrong. Whatever the child's intent is irrelevant at this point. She snapped partially nude photos of herself and a friend and DID do something. "Sexting" surfaced in 2005 and I am of the opinion unless you live with your head in a sandbox most people are aware of this fad.

What if a pedophile got a hold of the pics? It is so easy to get information on people today and it would be fairly easy to mask oneself on a website that could be a real danger to this child. This fad of "sexting" is allowing kids to express themselves in an inappropriate way. It is allowing the opposite sex to believe that the person in the pictures would be a willing participate in sexual activity.

Parents and children need to understands the ramifications of "sexting" for the long term. Not only is it labeling the child as sexually active, it is a crime, one that could last a lifetime. There have been girls that have committed suicide because of "sexting." Bristol Palin is right, "Pause before you play." It is my opinion that nude, partially nude, or other explicit photos are not accidental. They are not "all in fun" and "harmless." They may very well be a peer pressure thing. It could be a boyfriend's "if you love me..." Then, BAM! they couple breaks up or has a heated argument and the pictures start circulating.

Parents help your children understand this is not "normal" behavior. And if you think it is, you need to seek professional help. As I always told my daughter, "if you don't want anybody to know about it, then don't write it." Same is the case with "sexting." If you don't want some sicko to ruin your character, don't snap that picture. Or kids, if you don't want to end up "sex offender" at the end of your name don't attempt it.

Parents teach your children about respect and responsibility that come with ownership of a cell phone. Better yet, don't buy them one with a camera. Or block the ability to send and/or receive multimedia messages. Teens live today and think not of tomorrow. As a parent, it is our responsibility to inform our children of the dangerous world we live in today. Make sure they understand that every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. Whether good or bad, a consequence will be rendered.

Stop and think. What will snapping this picture do for me? What could happen as a result of the picture? Who would really benefit from explicit "sexts?"