The latest adolescent craze that has left most adults scratching their heads is "sexting". This is when a person photographs him or herself (in most cases it is a female) naked and sends the picture electronically to one or more people. The photographs are usually taken with cellphones and forwarded via email to friends. The most obvious question that arises is WHY would anyone do this, but there is a more serious question that has to be dealt with first. What are the possible consequences for such actions?
As far as ramifications go, it is best to deal with the legal consequences first. State and federal statutes differ in language, but are basically in the same ballpark when it comes to what is considered child pornography. Federal statutes consider “child pornography” to mean any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where— (A) the production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Sexually explicit conduct for this statute can simply mean a photograph of the genital area. No this does not mean that mom and dad can be arrested for taking a picture of their toddler in the bathtub. The statute uses the term lascivious when describing such a photograph, meaning the photograph is sexual in nature. The New York Penal Law says that nude photographs of anyone under the age of 18 is considered obscene material, and possession and or distribution of such material is considered a crime. It is here where many people present arguments such as:
Why isn't this protected under freedom of speech?
Why is the human body considered obscene?
What makes 18 the "magic"age?
It is not my purpose to engage in a debate, but to help our young adults understand the potential consequences of their actions. A young lady in New Jersey (14 years old) was just arrested for posting nude pictures of herself on a popular social networking sight and sending them to her boyfriend. There was one charge of possessing child pornography, (even though the pictures were of herself) and there was a charge for distributing child pornography (sending them to her boyfriend). Both charges carry a sentence of multiple years in prison. There is also the possibility of this young lady having to register as a sex offender, something that will follow her for the rest of her life.
These are just the legal consequences. The social ramifications can be just as damaging. What most teens don't realize is that once they put something on the internet it can be difficult, if not impossible to get back. Sending a naked picture to your boyfriend may seem harmless, especially if he has already seen you naked, but what happens when you break up? This happened to a young lady named Jesse Logan. Jesse's boyfriend decided to send the photos to other people after their breakup and Jesse became a target as a result. She was called a whore and a slut repeatedly and the pressure became unbearable. She committed suicide by hanging herself.
With technology advancing at such a rapid pace it is often difficult to keep up. Parents today are not as tech-savvy as their children and are often confronted with parenting issues they have no experience with. As rapid as technology is advancing it will never outpace common sense. Here are a few key questions to ask yourself before you hit the send button.
1) Is what I am sending against the law? (threatening emails or I-M's are also against the law)
2) Can it hurt me or someone else now or in the future?
3) What would be your reaction if you were on the receiving end?
4) Would the person you respect most in life (parent, teacher, coach,) approve?
With the benefits of technology come certain pitfalls. One of the biggest being that mistakes are often compounded. Ten years ago sending a nude Polaroid of yourself to a friend may have resulted in some embarrassment and a few eyeballs seeing the picture that were not intended to see it. Now that same mistake can find a thousand eyeballs in a matter of seconds and result in shame that makes a person want to relocate to another zip code.
Why our young adults would take part in this behavior is still up for debate. Some say it is a result of the ever increasing lax attitude on sex in this country. Porn is almost considered mainstream in this country now. Million-dollar porn stars are not unheard of and many date high profile celebrities. Celebrity sex tapes are always in high demand. The Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee tape made it around the world in record time.
Others claim that teens like engaging in risky behavior and sexting seems to be the new exciting thing. The sense of doing something bad is a turn on in and of itself.
These may certainly factor into the equation, but it's not what I'm seeing. The majority of cases I see or hear about are young ladies that have too much trust and not enough self-esteem. To the young ladies out there I have some advice for you. When someone asks you for an inappropriate photo and promises not to show anyone, don't believe them. Wake up ladies!!! When was the last time anyone kept a secret in high school or middle school? 99 times out of a 100 that photo is going to be seen by that person and that person's friends. And with the speed of the internet in a matter of minutes you might be on display for thousands. Many young men out there are engaging in competitions to see how many naked pictures of classmates they can rack up. They often target girls with low self-esteem and make promises they have no intention of keeping. If someone respects you for who you are there is no reason for them to ask you to do something that makes you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. That goes for any request. Remember, once you hit the send button you may never be able to retrieve what you sent or have control over where it goes from there, not to mention the laws you may be breaking.
Be safe out there and don't get caught with your pants down.
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