Sexting

Sexting is a term used to describe the sending and receiving of inexplicit messages, pictures, and/or videos. These messages can range from partially clothed pictures, to videos of undressing, or sexual behavior.

This week we viewed two videos which showed the repercussions of sexting. The first was the story of Hope Witsell, an 8^th grade girl who sexted a topless picture of herself to a boy in her class. The boy then proceeded to send the picture to his friends and the picture was circulated around the school. Hope was crushed and humiliated, a humiliation that eventually led to her suicide.

The second video told a similar story. It discussed multiple stories of sexting and its influence on young teens. One girl swallowed a bottle of pills after an ex-boyfriend circulated naked photos that she had sent to him while they were dating.

Sexting is a serious issue. These videos show the impact sexting has on adolescent’s lives and the aftermath of pressing send. A surprising statistic brought up in both videos is that one in five teenage girls have sent or received a sext. Students need to be educated on the impact sexting can have on their lives and what its means to send and receive a sext.

It is the schools responsibility to educate their students on the safe texting. While I was in high school I attended many assemblies that addressed the issue of drinking. The affects of drinking, the repercussions of it, and how it can ruin your life. Sexting is another issue that adolescents need to be made aware of. Similar to drinking, teens don’t see the repercussion of their actions. They don’t understand how undressing and sending a naked picture to another person can eventually ruin their lives. They need to be made aware of how their actions in the present can affect them in the future.

With technology at the fingertips of many adolescents it is important to teach them how to navigate the web safely. This is something thirteen-year-old Megan Meier became a victim of on the social networking cite MySpace. The article, Parents: Cyber Bullying Leds to Teens Suicide, discusses how a mother of Megan’s peer made a MySpace page and befriended Megan, leading her to believe she was a boy her age.  The article continues to discuss how Megan and the “boy” Josh became close friends until one day Josh told Megan he no longer wanted to be her friend. Megan, crushed by what Josh had told her, later killed herself.

Cell phones are used by a vast majority of students. They are a method of communication, information, and social networking. But are cell phones appropriate in a learning environment? This is the question the article, Schools, States Review Cell Phone Ban, raised. Cell phones can be a distraction to students but after 9/11 parents want to be in contact with their children if a disaster should occur. This is why many states are considering allowing cell phones in the schools but turned off.

What these videos and articles illustrate is the responsibility of having a cell phone. It’s something small such as having it turned off during school hours, to something big such as using it to circulate something that can be considered child pornography. Students need to be educated on these responsibilities and the repercussions of their actions.