Teen Article: Sexting

Vanessa Hudgens. Miley Cyrus. Two teen pop culture icons that have gained both a vast teen audience as well as the skepticism of parents after sexual pictures of the two beloved stars leaked onto the internet. Hudgens and Cyrus were guilty of “sexting,” or sending sexually explicit or nude photographs through a text message.

The phenomenon of sending sexual photographs over the phone has recently increased in popularity among young teenagers.

“I think more people do it than we even know of. I probably know around five people that have sexted, but I’m sure more people do it,” said Clarke Central High School senior Will Hager.

“Sexting” has become a new form of communication among teenage students, and though buzz on the issue is being generated by adolescents, the subject has been slow to surface among the Athens-area adult community. From school faculty to law officials, action to combat this new-age interaction has not been thoroughly pursued.

According to a source at the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, there have been no criminal investigation reports on “sexting.” Corporal Kandy Marchman, the Crime Prevention Officer and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Member at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, said that there have been only two “sexting” cases reported, both dealing with boys and girls sending nude photographs among classmates. One of the cases occurred between middle school students, and the other case dealt with high school students.

Although the issue has not been prevalent in the Athens police and sheriff’s departments, school staff members are still aware of the issue. Lenore Katz, a school counselor at Clarke Central High School said they realize the situation, but the counselors have yet to receive referrals from teachers or students regarding these offenses.

“It hasn’t been a hot button issue. The problem isn’t being brought to our attention. We know students are doing it, but we are not hearing from the students,” said Katz.

What the participating students are failing to realize are the legal ramifications that are associated with “sexting.” According to Cpl. Marchman, ownership of nude photographs can lead to child pornography possession charges. Furthermore, if the teen in possession of the “sext” forwards it to a peer, that teenager may be accused of distributing child pornography. If the adolescent is then convicted and charged as an adult, they may be placed on the sex offenders list, where they could remain for life.

This phenomenon received national attention in September 2009 when CBSNews.com did a story on Vermont’s first “sexting” case, in which an 18-year-old was charged with committing the act. In this case, the teenage boy was suspected of guiding two teenage girls to photograph or videotape themselves in a sexual manner and send him the end result. Ultimately, the 18-year-old pleaded guilty to reduced charges, but he will serve a 90-day sentence in prison.

In an attempt to raise awareness on the serious legal repercussions of “sexting,” Cpl. Marchman has met with several school counselors wishing to be educated on the laws. However, more aggressive, preventative action such as speaking to students has not been taken thus far.

“I don’t think people are aware of the legal issues. People don’t think that they will get caught in the first place, so they don’t think about the consequences,” said Hager.

Dr. Kip Matthews, licensed psychologist and Vice-President and Co-Founder of AK Counseling & Consulting, Inc., an Athens community counseling and psychological treatment organization,believes the best way to approach the issue of “sexting” is early in the home between the parents and the children. He suggests that parents talk to their children about making good decisions as well as set boundaries so that teens will not succumb to peer pressure.

“I really want to stress that punishing someone for having possession of a picture is not appropriate. It’s like attacking the outcome without really trying to fix the source,” said Matthews.

Matthews also stated that, in addition, parents need to have an active role in their child’s online behavior through monitoring activity on social media websites. Although there is an issue of the child’s right to privacy, Matthews argues that as long as they are minors, they’re sacrificing the right of private interaction. He believes it is both the responsibility and right of the parents to have full access their child’s online activity. This monitoring, he said, should include the parents’ ability to obtain the student’s Facebook password.

Madi Linck, a 17-year-old senior at Athens Academy said she believes Dr. Matthews’s opinion on parents gaining access to their child’s Facebook is too extreme.

“I think that’s overkill. I obviously wouldn’t want my mom to have my password. It’s just a trust issue with your parent,” said Linck.

Though there are not specific statistics for the prevalence of “sexting” in the Athens community, according to Matthews, there has “anecdotally” been a rise in the issue. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pregnancy in single, young adults, in collaboration with Cosmogirl.com, did a study nationwide on this topic. Their findings showed that 20 percent of teens (ages 13-19) admitted that they had sent or posted nude or semi-nude photos of themselves.

Despite the rise of sexual messaging among adolescents and its significant legal implications, teens are doubtful that any action taken will prevent “sexting” from occurring.

“No matter what, people are going to do this kind of stuff. Kids are going to be kids,” said Hager.

Regardless of whether the legal side of “sexting” becomes a motivating factor for teen action, there is no doubt that there is a growing interest in sexual communication. Although the trend is taking place across the nation and among celebrities, this contact between peers is also occurring at a local level, even in small towns such as Athens, Ga.