Are Teen "Sexters" Sex Offenders?

By Janis Prince Inniss

Eighteen-year-old Jesse Logan had talked about attending the University of Cincinnati. Logan sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend by cell phone. When the pair broke up, he sent the pictures to others, and Jesse’s torment began. She was called names like slut and whore by schoolmates, and some girls even threw objects at her. Eventually Jesse started skipping classes and in July 2008, she committed suicide.

Three teen girls in Greensburg, Pennsylvania sent racy pictures of themselves to three boys at their school. The six teens have been charged with child pornography and possessing or exhibiting a picture of a child in a sexual act. These are felony charges.

According to someone who worked in a Tampa high school, a male student there received video text of a girl masturbating.

In another case at the same high school, by the end of one day, the nude picture of a female student was sent to just about everyone at the school, including faculty and staff.

Results of a survey of teens indicate that most teens send suggestive images and texts to their boyfriends and girlfriends, but many others send them to people they want to “hook up” with. Referred to as sexting—sex and texting—the majority of teens believe that sending these messages can have “serious negative consequences”. Yet, some still send them. One of the obvious negative consequences of sexting is that “sexts” may be shared with many people other than the intended recipient(s). In fact almost half of teens say doing this is “common” and admit to doing this forwarding themselves.

Why are teens sexting? Of those male and female teens who have done it, most say they are being flirtatious, and half of the girls say they are giving their boyfriends a “sexy present”. Most of the teens surveyed believe that girls are more likely than boys to send sexy videos and photos. And why would girls be more likely to sext? The majority are doing so to get or keep a guy’s attention, to get noticed, to be fun/flirtatious, or to get a guy to like them, they said.

Teens are not the only people sending racy texts, pictures and videos. In a previous post, I discussed the fact that sexy text messages were evidence of “misconduct” by Detroit’s former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (having an extramarital affair and lying under oath) and a Tampa teacher (having sex with her students). But sexting by teens is what is claiming our attention, even if its prevalence is questionable. (A Google search of the term finds tons of articles on teen sexting; on the first page of results there was only one piece on a man whose wife was sexting someone else, but that’s the only non-teen related piece I saw on several pages.)

Maybe we’re more comfortable with adult sexuality, but many of us are skittish about teens as sexual beings. And of course many are concerned about the possible far reaching repercussions for teens of having sexy videos, semi-nude or nude pictures ”out there”. How will these images look to college admissions boards and potential employers?

Is the answer to block text messages? My mobile carrier, T-Mobile, does offer message blocking but I don’t see how this would help me if I was a texter but wanted to stop someone from sending me racy pictures. Message Blocking allows one to block one or all of the following types of messages: text, video, photos, IMs and emails. All of them! If I used message blocking, I couldn’t chose who to exchange texts with.

What does how we handle actual teen sex, as opposed to sexual photos and videos suggest on this issue? Although laws vary by state, in many states it is not a crime for older teens to have consensual heterosexual intercourse, unless one is older by a certain number of years. The permitted age range varies depending on the state. That means that in many cases teens could have consensual sex with no legal repercussions but could be charged with child pornography for sexting. In some states, conviction for possession of child pornography also requires that one be registered as a sex offender, for life.

How should we as a society handle sexting? What do you think of the legal approach of responding with felony child pornography charges? Presumably this response is meant to act as a deterrent to other would be teen sexters. But how well do various deterrence strategies work with adults? Many of our actions are not the most rational; this is a hallmark of teen life. For example, many teens believe their images will be shared but they still sext anyway. Consider who the victims of these sext crimes are. Or are these victimless crimes? Would you say that Jesse Logan was a victim? How about the teenagers in Pennsylvania? Are the three girls who sent the pictures perpetrators of a crime and the boys victims? How about if the person receiving the sext does not want it? Is that sexual harassment? What do you think?

Comments

[Americancarrie]

With the development of new technology, people enjoy the pleasure and convenience it brought but meanwhile many suffer from taking advantaged from technology. In 2007, there was an influential event happened in Chinese celebrities cycle. Hundreds of racy pictures were let out from a famous guy’s personal laptop. Within these pictures, there were at least seven female celebrities involved. Those pictures were uploaded to the Internet, and they were so wide spread and shocking that maybe all younger Chinese had seen them. Under such a shock, all eight of celebrities announced that they would drop out from this cycle for a while. Until today, this issue is still a hot topic in China and celebrities struggle to rebuild their new images in front of the public.
In comparison with Jesse Logan and even all teens, I agree with the author in a way. All those celebrities were adults, and some of them were even married at the time when those pictures showing on the web. However, none of them committed suicide. All they did was hiding themselves from the public and avoiding the peak time of discussing their pictures and then admitting their mistakes afterwards. Apparently, adults’ psychological endurances are much stronger than teens and the ways of dealing with such intractable problems seem more mature. Thus, I advice teens who intend to take their nude pictures or forward others’ pictures that be thoughtful to yourselves and to others. Although American is a country where is much open than Asian countries, the moral boundary is still something we do not want to offend.

[Jessica Tallman]

I believe that the issue of teens “sexting” is a result of social influence. Sexual attraction is a large part of human nature that has mass appeal. The media takes advantage of this and uses sex as a major part of advertisement. Society sees sexy and racy pictures on a daily basis, in magazines, on the television, in movies, etc. Although, the photos aren’t completely nude, it still sends the message that being “sexy” is appealing to people. Teens are influenced by this, and adopt the idea that the opposite sex is attracted to those who are more open with their sexuality and their bodies. Thus, the epidemic of “sexting”. Teens, mainly female, send nude, sexy photos to the guys that they like, thinking that the guy will find it appealing. However, the consequences of “sexting” are turning out to more negative than positive. The advancement of technology has made it possible for these photos to be shared. With the click of a button, these racy photos can be forwarded and seen by hundreds of people. In the case of Jesse Logan, the teen was ridiculed and harassed for the photo she sent. Leading her to commit suicide due to the torment. Many people would see Jesse as the victim in this crime. Is she really the victim when she was the one who decided to take the picture of herself and send it to her boyfriend in the first place? Many people would argue that it was her decision to send the photo, therefore she is not a victim at all. I agree with this to a certain extent. I think that when Jesse first sent the photo to her boyfriend, and he was the only one who had received and saw it, that she was not a victim. It was her choice to send him that photo. However, once he made the conscious decision to send the photo out to hundreds of other students, after they had broken up, I believe that is when Jesse became a victim. She had only intended the photo to be seen with her boyfriends eyes, once he shared it with others, that is when he became partly to blame for her suicide. In the Pennsylvania case, when three girls sent nude photos to three guys and then all sex of them were charged with child pornography crimes, I do believe that the boys could be victims in this situation. If the person who receives the sext doesn’t want it, then the sender violated sexual harassment laws. However it all depends on what the receive of the sext does with it upon receiving it. If they really did not want it, then they would delete it right away and possibly tell the sender not to send anymore. However, if the receiver keeps the sext, maybe shows it to a few friends or sends the sext to anyone else, then they are no longer a victim in my opinion because they are using the text for their enjoyment and possibly setting up the sender for ridicule by others.

[brookereynoso]

Text messaging could never be blocked. That's what everyone does. I would think that now a days people tend to text even more then they call. I really just wish that these girls wouldn't feel the need to send these sexy pictures through phones. The media pushes girls everyday to get skinner, look hotter, do this, do that. Its really disgusting what girls will do to look a certain way because it is considered attractive. Why anyone would send nude photos or videos over a phone blows my mind. With just a click of a button this could be shown to anyone in the world! Shouldn't that be a grate reason not to do it in the first place. When I was in high school this same situation happened to a girl. She sent some sexy pics to a guy she wasn't even dating, and they soon were sent to everyone's email address's. But for some strange reason, she loved that they were sent, she got excited from everyone seeing them. I just feel a lot of younger girls theses days need to stop giving in to the media and start being real, and themselves. I just think that girls should keep there bodies as a wonderful suprise. and who ever that special person is, will be able to enjoy it. So why whore your self out. its NOT attractive.

[Josh Petersen]

In today’s society text messaging is just about as common as eating or driving. You cant find many people that don’t know how to text or that don’t text at all. From little freshman in high school to full grown mature adults. Text messaging is getting to be so big and so common amount people that it is starting to get used more than making actually calls. For the age group or 14 - 25 it is a big part of our everyday life. As a college student I find myself texting more than I did in high school, it’s a much easier way to communicate with someone and tell them how you really might feel or if you have a quick question. With just a few clicks of a keypad you can have hour long conversations that can cover a wide range of areas without even talking to that actual person. The thought of blocking text messaging will never happen. The texting frenzy is to big right now and it only seems to be getting bigger. Spreading to younger kids and now that more mature adults are catching on with the idea they are beginning to incorporate it into their daily lives as well. The issue with teens sending naked and explicit material to girl/boy friends or to “hook ups” is something that almost every teen has encountered. It’s the persons choice to send those pictures and expose themselves like that to that person, now they are doing this very well knowing that one day their “hook up” or significant other could break up and could show off those pictures, but that’s the risk they take. Sending flashy pictures will not go away anytime soon, and neither will text messaging. Its ones own choice to expose it or not.

[Lina K]

In the case of Jesse Logan, I think that she was the victim. We don’t say anything about her being intimate with her boyfriend, so why would sending him nude pictures be worse? Even though Jesse was the one who started it all, I do think that the boyfriend was wrong in forwarding the pictures, because it was nobody else’s business. Nevertheless, the boyfriend was not the only one who was responsible for the bullying; many of Jesse’s classmates were involved as well. But one cannot forget to put some responsibility on those that saw what was going on and could have stopped it, especially the school, which should always protect all the students. It was their fault altogether that Jesse committed suicide.

Even though I think there should be other ways for people to catch the attention of a potential partner, I don’t see much wrong in sexting itself. If someone wants to send sexually explicit messages to another person, then that’s OK as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else. Nevertheless, as seen in Jesse’s case, it can go overboard. The question, then, is should we ban something because it is potentially harmful? If yes, then maybe we should ban driving as well because people can die in car accidents, and maybe we should ban lighting candles because it can cause fires. Nothing we do is completely without a risk. It seems to me that this issue has become so big because sex is a taboo in our society, not because sexting is much worse than anything else that is going on in society.

[Brenda A]

Texting is something that everyone does in todays society. When you have a relationship, and it gets hot and steamy sometimes, it would be nice to send a picture to your guy, if he is trustworth. Its a fact. Guys are way more visual. They see something they like you get more attention.
BUT
thats the bad kind of attention. Its not right, and many still do it. I have to agree with Lina K, everything we do has a risk to it.

[Lindsey]

Unfortunately with advances in technology, it gets easier and easier to exploit yourself. Through cell phone pictures and sites like Facebook teens are getting increasingly good at making themselves look stupid. Because of our love of the internet and cell phones, nothing is private anymore. I could look on someone’s Facebook and see exactly what they did the night before, who they were with, where they were, and if they got drunk and puked on themselves. And of course because teenagers have raging hormones they feel the need to show pictures of themselves trying to imitate models in a Victoria Secret magazine, take a mirror picture with their shirt off to show their sick abs, or send a naked photo to their boyfriend/girlfriend to impress them. Teenagers are more likely to send these pictures through the phone or put them online because they do not think of long term consequences. No teen believes they will be charged with a felony because of a picture that is on their phone. And for those who send the photos I do not believe their intentions were to share it with the world. So how should we handle this situation? Maybe we should TALK about it. Share our experiences. I know that some time in high school you have to take a sex education or health class so why not incorporate the issues teens today are facing? Maybe teens would have an “ahh ha” moment and understand that there are serious consequences to their “sexting” and knock it off.

[Gisela Maldonado]

The media greatly affects how society views sexuality, we are continously bombarded with the idea that being open about your sexuality is a common thing, we accept it and to an extent even expect it. So its not surprising when a teenager sends sexually implicit texts while knowing the potential consequences, all because it has become the norm. i think anyone who unfortunately experiences the negative results of sexting is a victim of their own lack of judgment. its becoming an issue that every teen will face directly or indirectly and the advances in technology make it easier for them to be more sexually open in our society, whether we like it or not.

[DaNay Edgar]

I thought that is blog has alot of information towards teens and how people should be more careful when they are texting there friends or boyfriends/girlfriends. Teens don't think about the aftermath of the choices they make. I as a teenager can relate because I've seen this sort of thing happen in our school there are students that think that they are in a good relationship and do things that they shouldn't, (like sending pictures for them selves without any clothes on) and when they end the relationship they find out that they are printed and looked at all over the school and maybe on the internet. It's suprising what crulity that teens and do to one another people don't deserve that. I really felt for this teenager that ended her life. I just put's things in prespective for me, just to think,because that is very serious and we as teenagers need to be more careful about what we do on our phones.

[Tristan Carter]

Teens in this new generation are making bad choices that put there reputation on the line.Their not thinking about their actions and what consequences they may have to face for wrong decisions. Teenagers are trying to fit in and doing anything to fit in the popular crowd.As for jesse logan who sent her boyfriend secretive pictures, it should have never ended up on any other persons phone but his.I belive that jesse logan had alot of trust into this boy and he had broken that trust and acted immature about the whole situation by him sending everyone the pictures of his once so called "girlfriend". kids tend to do things they might see, like the media. they see how much attention a girl gets when she's half naked on television, that's what influences teens into doing things.It's easy for teens to compose these actions because of cell phone usage which is easy for exploition.In Jesse case she just got caught up in a bad situation that was hard for her to handle and she ended it in a bad way.It hard for some teens to overcome all the name calling and bullying. This is a message for all teens and parents that sexting and exploiting yourself can end in a bad way so parents need to buckle down on their teens and give them the message.

[imelda b]

As a society I think parents should be more involved in theirs kid’s cell phones. In this generation kids would do just about anything just to fit in. Teens want to be part of the "crowd" no a days. Parents have the right to give there kids a cell phone , so there for they have a right to look through there kids cell phone. Parents need to be aware of how our society could affect the lives of there once perfect child. Many teens choose to text more then they choose to call. I think that sexting is influced by the media. Girls see how boys like to watch half naked girls in music videos, or wouldn't mind looking through a victoria's secrete catalog and enjoy what they are seeing. Girls want that attention. Sexting is just another way of feeling wanted.
If the government is allowed to make texting illegal while driving, because it might harm another persons life. Then why should sexting be any different? In the case of Jesse Logan, was just an innocent victim to this sexting situation. I feel as if many people sat back and just watched to what it might escalade into. The school did nothing to help this family, neither did the police. Not until someone’s life had to be taken away. I think that the government and schools are probably taking sexting lightly because they think maybe it's just texting words might not do any harm to anybody. In reality texting could do a lot of harm to another person who's receiving or sending the message. Just like Jessie Logan

[Sharif Barakat]

My senior year of high school, which was around the same time “sexting” started gaining its popularity three girls sent out pictures of themselves naked. At first it was only one girl but I think all the attention she started receiving after sending out a picture of her topless made other girls jealous and then two more sent out pictures. Now I think that these girls are all too blame. It doesn’t matter to me if they trust their boyfriends or if they want to receive attention if they choose to do it they should be prepared for the possible consequences. It’s sad what happened with Jessie Logan but she should have known better. If she was as smart as they said she should have known that sending out a picture of her naked wasn’t a good idea. I also feel that no one deserves to be punished for this you can’t stop someone from receiving and sending a message of themselves naked when they’re the ones who originally distributed the picture.

[Christopher Wyman]

Many teens do not fully understand the severity of doing something such as "sexting" because they are not always think about what repercussions may be associated with doing something like sending nude or racy photos to a significant other. At such a young age, teens do not understand that certain things, such as nude photos, can lead to many problems, including future employment opportunities or college admissions. I think that as a society, we should focus on informing teenagers about the hazards associated with "sexting", rather than trying to convince them not to do it at all. By informing teens about what might happen if certain photos of them got into the wrong hands, I think we would have a much stronger response by the individuals who are sending these photos. In the case of Jesse Logan, I believe she was the victim because even though she took and sent the photo, she never intended for it to become public. However, I also don't blame her ex-boyfriend for her suicide because although he is responsible for distributing the picture, he never forced Jesse to actually commit the act of taking her own life. It's an extremely sad situation that Jesse was the center of but I feel as though we all have obstacles we must overcome and some of these may be as severe as dealing with public scrutiny.

As far as applying child pornography charges to individuals who send or receive these types of "sexting" messages, it seems to be a drastic punishment especially do to the fact that some teens may live in a state where the age of consent is under eighteen and the two individuals exchanging photos may be in a serious relationship. I don't believe that "sexting" is a good idea for teens but charging them with child pornography seems to be far too harsh considering what they are doing. Also, if an individual receives a nude photo, I'm not sure how I feel about charging the individual who sent the photo with sexual harassment. This is extremely hard to judge because the teen sending the photos may not realize the severity of their actions. "Sexting" is not a good idea for any teen to take part in but we really need to think about what type of punishment is appropriate for this action. Making a teenager a sex offender for possessing pictures of his girlfriend, that she willingly sent to him, seems to be too drastic of a punishment, but these actions shouldn't be tolerated either. I believe that through awareness we will eventually find the solution to the "sexting" problem.

[baekgoeun]

There are two ways to explain why the teenagers become sexters and why people do sexting. First, personally they want to keep couple’s relationship in this way, or they like to do it. Second, the media makes teenagers and people think that the sexiness is important in their life. Recently, the technology are changing and developing so fast; meantime, the term, ‘Sexter’ is negative results from the creature of the times. People who live in this century want to be respected their privacy by others; meanwhile, people are also more likely to express of themselves. Especially, people who are affected by the media including internet, advertisements and TV programs, unconsciously believe what they see on the media. Finally, they want to be sexy like singers or skinny models, so the number of sexters is increasing, and they want to be sexier. The function of society should help these problems because it is not just a personal problem.
Moreover, there are givers and receivers. Like Jesse Logan, she was a giver, and her boyfriend was a receiver; however, the number of receivers was increased because her boyfriend texted all her pictures to the schoolmates and faculties. When the other people called her like slut and whore, she finally became a victim. When people are sexting, it is not a big deal because it is privacy, but when people know everything about it and make it serious issue and gossip, it becomes social problem.
There will be a lot of victims for sure if this situation keeps going. We cannot ban texting and using cell phones or other devices, but society needs to let people change their thoughts in other ways with the media if people accept the solutions.

[Kendall Kirkpatrick]

First of all, my personal opinions on this matter mean no disrespect to Jesse Logan, the members of her family or any other person in a similar situation. I don’t know what was going through her mind, thinking that what she did was never going to receive any consequences. The idea that she was taken advantage of and wrongfully treated is something that I find to be true however, she subjected herself to it. Teenage immaturity combined with the advances in Internet, cell phones and other various forms of technology today, it is no surprise that her photo got out. In all honesty, she should have been smarter about the situation and never allow a nude picture of herself to be released let alone exist in the first place. Logan did realize that she made a mistake and she unfortunately received a ruthless punishment of social torture before she felt the need to end it all by ending her life. It is in a word, unfair. The suggestion that more protection should have been provided to Logan is somewhat far fetched; she should have protected herself. There are so many different outlets for various sex offenders to take advantage of innocent victims that the best solution for crimes of this matter is to just be aware. One mistake cost Logan her life and if she had maybe debated the results of her actions, the situation’s entirety could have been avoided. I do not consider Logan’s ex-boyfriend a sex offender, just a vengeful and immature teen with easy ammunition.

[Ama]

I don't really believe there is a simple solution to this problem,if any. I never knew there was even a term like " sexting" till i read this. Usually people send sexy text messages to there significant other. I don't see the problem in that. On the issue of recieveing them when you don't want to, I would assume you could block the number by telling your phone company. If someone decides to share the sext, as in distributing to everyone, I could see the terms for child porn. I wouldnt say a registered sex offender for life though. Teens do stupid things and its their time to learn. Teens shouldnt be punished for life because of something they did earlier in their youth. Adulthood is a different story especially if the significant other is under 18. It's really quite a murky issue and i believe it deserves a little bit of attention. I wouldnt say it is that big of a deal though.

[Melissa]

This topic goes hand and hand with the fact that our society is turning into a more technology dependent culture. Instead of creating sexy visuals with one's significant other in person, we'd rather send "sext" messages. Maybe we as a society feel more comfortable to send pictures over text or over the internet because we are too uncomfortable to actually do it in person. Think about it. It takes a lot more guts to get undressed in front of a person than it does in front of a camera. I think that sometimes "sexting" is a form of ignorance. No one imagines that when you send a sexy picture to your boyfriend/girlfriend they're going to turn around and send it to their friends. You wouldn't send it if you did. There is really nothing you can do about under aged teens sending pictures to their significant other. Kids these days a lot more sexual. If you tell them it's wrong they'll do it, if you their phone away from them, they'll find a new way. There are bigger problems in the world than "sexting" especially when no one can control the issue.

[Nancy Cole]

Raging hormones and cell phone's with camera's is a dangerous combination. Teens have and will always find ways to get themselves into trouble. Before sexting there was the internet where people would get bullied our become prey for sexual predators. Our society is becoming more and more dependent on technology, even for every day communication, why call when you can text. One problem with texting is that there is no tone or voice inflection to help indicate what exactly the person means. It comes as a message that is unattatched to the sender. People feel more confident on texting therefore may ask to see a nude picture or talk dirty. Sexting is dangerous because instead of teens having healthy relationships based on face to face communication it causes a fake sense of intimacy which can do a lot of damage to teens and their relationships. I think parents can do a lot to curb this behavior by telling their teens that they can read their text messages and such and explaining the dangers of sexting

[How To Get Your Ex Back]

This is a sad, sad story, and one that's becoming increasingly common as the ability of the cellphone and Internet to rapidly distribute information (good and bad) continues to increase.

Cyber bullying is definitely on a rapid upward curve and even here in my home country on New Zealand, where we tend to lag most new trends somewhat, it's becoming a real problem with two cases of teen suicides in the last month.

Teens, in most cases are unable - or tend to ignore consequences - prefering to live in the moment without much thought. And who can blame them?

But we parents, and people like myself working online, need to do all we can to educate and protect these vulnerable young adults.

I will be adding this post to my relationship blog, which is visited by several thousand adults and a considerable number of teens every month.

Together we may save a young life.

[Valerie Middleton]

Check out this story about a girl who finds "sexting" not only offensive but harmful as well. This empowered 16 year old is reaching out to other teens in her community by raising awareness about "sexting." Read more at http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-08-05/lifestyle/teen-raises-awareness-about-sexting-on-net-cell-phones

[Lei He]

Girls shouldn't send private "sexting" messages especially racy pictures using cell phones or emails just for their own protection.

[JD]

I believe that this is in fact a prevalent issue in todays teen society. I myself have received many of this text's messages in the past. Most of the messages were without even request. Almost a hundred percent of the messages received were shared with other people. In class or when out with friends I have been shown pictures of the Sexters. Sometimes even in front of the subject. This is a serious issue, we are playing with peoples lives.
The psychological damage a picture which passed around a high school from friend to friend can have on a child, especially one that is underage is tremendous. As we saw from the example given to us by (Inniss P) in her article Are Teen “Sexters” Sex Offenders? A girls self esteem and even social life can be so badly damaged that it may lead her to even go as far as to commit suicide. That is a scary thought! Do you think when the Sext recipient received the sexually provocative message and decided to share it with the entire school, he ever thought about the possible consequences his action might have on that poor girl. I truly do not believe he thought that far ahead. Imagine how he must feel today, knowing he is directly to blame for the starting her path to the grave.
It is of course unfair to blame him completely for her death but I just wanted to stand in his shoes for a moment. The other person to blame primarily is Jesse Logan. She is the one who sent the message. She should have known better right? Well the truth is in our teen society it is almost a norm in high school and even in college to send your interest or lover a sext, that is if you are a female. The reason females partake in these activity's more then males is unknown but from my own experience you can always attribute sext's to the girl. I believe aside from drugs and std awareness classes we should also cover this new societal issue. It is not a new issue and I assure you, it is only the beginning. The other day I saw a five year old with a cell phone of his own. Like drug use, there is no way to stop it and only by teaching the negatives and making teens aware of stories such as Jesse Logan's will they begin to grasp the harm Sexting can really bring upon them.

[Kendra]

Its sad that this girl had to go through all the struggles she did for a little mistake. Society has a way of being really crule when the social role we're expected to be in isn't followed to a "T" Sexting isn't a good thing to do but it makes you take a step back and look at the ridicule that the person that does it has to take because of society and our social roles.

[JAQUANDA CLEMENTS]

SEXTING IS JUST AS DUMB AS SENDING NUDE PICTURES ON THE INTERNET. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT IF YOU SEND ANYTHING VIA TEXT OR INTERNET, YOU ARE RISKING IT GETTING INTO THE WRONG HANDS. MY MOTTO IS DON'T PUT ANYTHING IN A TEXT OR ONLINE THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD. THE TEENS EVEN ADMIT TO UNDERSTANDING THE RISK THEY'RE TAKING, YET THEY DO IT ANYWAY. THAT IS THEIR OWN STUPID FAULT. I SAY THERE ARE NO VICTIMS INN THESE SITUATIONS, JUST CONSEQUENCES FOR ACTIONS. TEENS AND ADULTS UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR ACTIONS, SO THERE IS NO EXCUSE. THE ONLY ONE TO BLAME IS THEMSELVES. AS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT FORWARD THE MESSAGES, IT'S THEIR PHONE AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORWARD IF THEY WANT TO. THE PERSON WHO SENT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL IN SELECTING FRIENDS. THE FORWARDER SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED.

[Aleksis Landers]

I really appreciate this article. Sexting is becoming more popular nawadays, but just because it's becoming popular, doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken any less seriously. I don't think you should have to register as a sex offender..I think if laws caught up with technology, then there would be a correct and fair punsihment for this behavior.

[JR]

I am a senior in high school and im writing a paper about why people not just teens should not sext. I have to have 3 main points and i am having a hard time coming with one more. Anybody have any ideas?

[Sara]

Texting is a part of most people every day life. It could never be blocked. But what could happen is awarness. Somebody needs to go around to schools and tell them stories like this so they can understand the consequences of sending promiscuous texts to teenage boys. Teenage brains aren't fully developed yet to understand the long term consequences of their actions. These girls should know either way that doing this is not good. I also believe though that the receiver should know better then to send the text, video or picture to the entire school. If they knew stories like this they would understand the emotional impact of what could happen if they did. The whole "sexting" thing is ridiculous from both ends. When this ridiculous act leads to some bodys suicide then it just can't be ignored, drastic measures need to be taken.

[boarding101]

of course knowing a teen involved in sexual issue is a big thing. We should be careful so as not to put our children under such condition.

[MRWED]

The rise of technology is very alarming especially to our youth today. It is so sad to know that a simple use of cell phone caused lives and rise of suicidal. Bottom line here is that never share your nude photos or just don’t appear nude to videos or cameras to avoid such situations. Trust nobody!

[Turning Winds Blog]

With today's problem of the consequences of "sexting", the parents and the school administration should start early in educating the kids on the negative effects of getting involve in this kind of fad. If there was a clear punishment towards the original person sending the "sexts" and the people who disseminates copies of them, then I'm sure the issue wouldn't be too extreme. Considering an activity like this as a crime to be punished might probably discourage teenagers to do "sexting" in the first place.

[perry]

Teen sexting is not a charge if the person is not a adult handling the suggestive material, but it does make us all take a step back and look at the world of sex for the youth everbody wants to be a star , or dtarving for some kind of the wrong attention.

[perry]

Team sexting is not offense unless a adult is mingling witha minor , even though I don't suggest anymore send pictures over the internet , it is a form of foreplay for youth today, or attention grabbing.

[Drew]

No judge who wants to be reelected would prosecute a teen girl to the fullest extent of the law for sending nude pictures of herself. Recently a seventy year old man who lives near me was convicted of molesting a ten year old. He got three months of house arrest and five years on the sex offender registry.

When a sixteen year old girl sleeps with an eighteen year old male, he's the only one who sees it. When she sends naked pictures of herself then the second the relationship is over those pictures wind up on reddit or viewnakedpicturesofmysluttyexgirlfriend.com where the guy down the street from me on house arrest is safe to view and download naked pictures of an underage girl. That, to me, is distribution of child pornography. Both the girl and her ex-sleezebag of a boyfriend should be charged. The internet has its ups and downs that we have to live with.