SafetyNET Sexting

Sexting
Kerrville ISD
Carol Triola, LSSP

Sexting - Defined
Sextingmeans sex texting.
It is the sending or receiving a text message that has sexual content to include, but not limited to nude, semi‐nude, or erotic pictures or video via cell phone.

Three Main Scenarios for Sexting:
1) Exchange of images solely between two romantic partners
2) Exchanges between partners, that are
shared with others outside the
relationship
3) Exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where at least one person hopes to be

Sexting Statistics
Males and females are EQUALLY as likely to have sent a suggestive picture to another person.
Older teens are the most likely to report having sent a sexually suggestive image via text with 8% of 17-year-olds having sent one, compared to 4% of those age 12.
Intense users of cell phones are more likely to receive sexually suggestive images.

Sexting Statistics
Teens with unlimited text messaging plans – 75% of cell-phone owning teens – are more likely to receive sexts containing images of people they know.
Just 8% of teens who sent sexy images by text had parents who restricted the number of texts or other messages they could send; 28% of teens who didn’t send these texts had parents who limited their child’s texting.

Sexting – Why Are They Doing It?
"They (teens) think they're going to get attention -- that it (sexting) makes them stars of their own reality show,"
(Internet privacy and piracy lawyer Parry Aftab said of the growing number of U.S. teenagers who publish sexual images)

Why…? There's a totally false perception among juveniles that there is no risk to this

“If a guy wants to hookup with you, he’ll send a pictures of his private parts or a naked picture of himself. It happens about 10 times a month. It’s mostly the guys I date or just a guy that…really wants to hook up with you. I’m not really that type of person, but I have friends who have.”
- High school student

“Almost all the time it’s a single girl sending to a single guy. Sometimes people trade pictures like ‘hey you send me a pic I’ll send you one.’”
High school boy

“Yes I have received some pictures that include nudity. Girls will send them sometimes, not often. I don’t know why they think it’s a good idea but I’m not going to stop it. Sometimes a guy will get one and forward it to all his friends.”
- High school boy

“Yeah, I’ve sent them to my boyfriend, everybody does it. Most people are too shy to have sex. Sexting isn’t bad.”
- 9th grade girl

“I know people think it’s dangerous, but to me, it’s no big deal because I get them a lot.”
- High school boy

Why……..? Another older high school girl wrote about the pressure on girls to share such images:
“I haven’t, but most of the girls who have are usually pressured by a guy that they like or want to like them…. It’s probably more common than what it seems because most people who get involved in this were probably pressured by someone to do it.”

Why……..? Images are shared as a part of, or instead of sexual activity, as a way of starting or maintaining a relationship or some other form of “relationship currency”
“Yes, I do sext. I only do it with my girlfriend b/c we have already been sexually active with each other. It’s not really a big deal.”
- High school junior

Why……..? Images are shared as a part of, or instead of sexual activity, as a way of starting or maintaining a relationship or some other form of “relationship currency”
“When I was about 14-15 years old, I received/sent these types of pictures. Boys usually ask for them or start that type of conversation. My boyfriend, or someone I really liked asked for them. And I felt like if I didn’t do it, they wouldn’t continue to talk to me. At the time, it was no big deal.”
- High school senior

“I’ve sexted a few times….. just between my girlfriend and I. Just my girlfriend sending pictures of herself to me and me sending pictures of myself to her.”
- Middle school boy

Why…..? They are also passed along to friends for their entertainment value, as a joke or for fun”.
“This girl sent pictures to her boyfriend, then they broke up and he sent them to his friend, who sent them to like everyone in my school. Then she was supposed to come to my school because she got kicked out of her school because it was a Catholic school….it ruined high school for her.”

Why…..? They are also passed along to friends for their entertainment value, as a joke or for fun”.
“Yeah, it happens a lot, my friends do it all the time, it’s not a big deal. Sometimes people will get into fights with their exes and so they will send the nudes as blackmail, but it’s usually when or after you’ve been dating someone.”

Sexting and The Legal System
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=7080436

Sexting and The Legal System
Chapter 43, Texas Penal Code Sec. 43.26. (Excerpts)
POSSESSION OR PROMOTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
(a) A person commits an offense if:
the person knowingly or intentionally possesses visual material that visually depicts a child younger than 18 years of age at the time the image of the child was made who is engaging in sexual conduct.

Sexting and The Legal System con’t
(3) "Visual material" means:
any film, photograph, videotape, negative, or slide or any photographic reproduction that contains or incorporates in any manner any film, photograph, videotape, negative, or slide; or
(B) any disk, diskette, or other physical medium that allows an image to be displayed on a computer or other video screen and any image transmitted to a computer or other video screen by telephone line, cable, satellite transmission, or other method.

Both laws and law enforcement practices around sexting are emerging to deal with the issue and they vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Some law enforcement officers and district attorneys have begun prosecuting teens who created and shared such images under laws generally reserved for producers and distributors of child pornography.

Across the country, female students who sent nude or seminude photos of themselves to male classmates via cell phone are facing a variety of charges such as manufacturing, disseminating, or possessing child pornography.
The male students who received the photos are facing charges of possession.
If found guilty, students may not be incarcerated if they live in a state where there is no mandatory minimum sentence; however, they may be forced to register as sexual offenders for at least 10 years.

What can Parent’s Do?
Parental engagement is key!
Start early!
Set ground rules and develop a contract for phone use.
Be aware
Be pro-active
Initiate conversations in an honest, open environment
Communicate your values

Install parental controls
• WebSafety is a software for select phones on Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon networks. It also provides applications for your computer.
• Kajeet is a pay-as-you-go cell phone service with a wide variety of safety features. You must purchase one of their many styles of phones, then choose a plan, which can be as little as $4.99 per month. Service is provided on the Sprint Network.
• AT&T provides “Smart Limits” where parents can choose from a moderate amount of features and add customized controls for $4.99 per month, per phone line.
• Alltel provides an application that allows parents to filter offensive sites.
• Verizon’s content filter consists of 3 age appropriate ratings: 7+, 13+, and 17+.
• Sprint offers a phone you may purchase that includes the free parental control feature, as well as a GPS locator.

Be the SafetyNET
for your children

Q&A Time
Contact Information:
Joel Adkins – joel.adkins@kerrvilleisd.net
MicahWrase – micah.wrase@kerrvilleisd.net
Carol Triola – carol.triola@kerrvilleisd.net

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SafetyNET Sexting

by Joel Adkins on Feb 28, 2010

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SafetyNET Sexting — Presentation Transcript