Boarding Schools for Girls

About 15 percent of teenagers say they've been sent nude or nearly nude photos on their cell phones, and 4 percent admit to sending such sexually explicit messages. Whether your teenager admits to "sexting" or not, there are steps you can take to protect her.

Nancy Shute addressed this topic in a Dec. 17 article on the website of U.S. News & World Report:

Remind kids that all photos can go public. Explain to your children that theres no guarantee that images they send will remain private. The consequences can go far beyond embarrassment.

Cincinnati teen Jesse Logan committed suicide in 2008 after a nude photo shed sent to a boyfriend was circulated at her school.

Another teenager was convicted of transmitting child pornography after he sent nude images of his girlfriend to her parents, grandparents and friends. These are extreme examples of course, but even if sexting doesnt result in such dire consequences, it can still ruin a childs reputation.

Talk to your daughter about the dangers of sexting, and monitor her cell phone and social networking use.

Labels: sexting

Posted By: Aspen/CRC