During the past year, more than two dozen teens in at least six states have been investigated by police for “sexting” — sending nude pictures of themselves in cell phone text messages — which carries a charge of distributing child pornography.
Locally, rumors, but no hard leads, have made their way to Meadville police and Crawford County Juvenile Probation Office, leaving many observers wondering when, not if, a local sexting case is filed.
In an effort to stem the tide before it hits, by educating parents and making sure kids know exactly what they are getting themselves into, the county District Attorney’s and Juvenile
Probation offices have launched an educational campaign.
There’s a lot on the line.
Under Pennsylvania law, taking a picture of a person under 18 — even if they are naked but not engaged in a sexual act — is against the law if the picture was taken with the purpose of sexual stimulation or gratification.
Taking, sending and even simply possessing such a picture are serious crimes. Being found guilty of just one step in the process can lead to jail time of up to 10 years and a permanent record that may make it hard, if not impossible, to meet the requirements for entry into many schools and for many jobs. If the offender is older than 18, participation in a step of the sexting process might lead to a Megan’s Law sex offender designation, which means the person’s name, picture and address would be registered on a publicly-accessible Web site.
But the subjects of sexting often face a fate that is arguably worse than anything the courts can mete out.
A suicide in Ohio occurred last year after a girl who sexted her picture to a boyfriend was humiliated when the boy forwarded it to hundreds of kids.
Once such a picture has been sent to another phone or e-mail address, the humiliation may never end as the image can be stored and recirculated literally forever.
In an effort to try to at least limit similar tragic circumstances here, District Attorney Francis Schultz and Juvenile Probation Supervisor Sam Pendolino recently produced a brochure that has been made available to Crawford Central, Conneaut, PENNCREST and Titusville school districts.
The aim is not only to educate parents, but also to take on a more difficult task — get teens thinking about the consequences before it is too late.
“You’re not thinking about the future at that age,” Schultz pointed out. And that’s particularly dangerous when you are talking about a crime that “can follow you forever,” Pendolino said. “They need to understand that this is real.”
The local brochure is up against a combination of teenage invincibility and parental ignorance about technology recognized by experts as key factors in sexting.
Texting and communicating online “is the place where all the kids are. They know how to work it, which gives them a false sense of confidence. But they don’t always have the experience and judgment to make good decisions. And most parents are clueless. They don’t understand the technology because they weren’t raised with it,” said Jim Steyer, creator of the Common Sense Schools Parent Media Education Program, which gives parents and educators tools to help kids learn to think before they post pictures and send texts that can be seen by the public and never go away.
“I teach sanity, not censorship,” Steyer said. “I believe in the First Amendment. I believe that we can achieve a really good quality of life for the kids if you have reasonable restrictions and teach them good critical thinking skills — it’s always a balancing process.”
The goal of Common Sense Media is to help kids and parents navigate this brave new world with responsibility, ethics and intelligence, Steyer stressed.
To keep up with the rapid pace of technology, he makes it a point to keep learning from his students and his kids about the latest developments.
“My kids are always teaching me new stuff. They program my iPhone for me. I listen to them and respect their point of view, but I also let them know when I find things that are troubling. That’s what parents need to do.”
Schultz agreed. He suggests that parents periodically check their kids’ phones for troubling material. He also stressed the need for parents to be techno-savvy.
“With every new technology people find a way to use it for evil purposes,” he said.
Pat Bywater can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at pbywater@meadvilletribune.com. Nancy Churman of The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
- Go to the Tribune’s Web site, meadvilletribune.com, to view and print a PDF version of the brochure created by the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office and Juvenile Probation Office.
- Visit commonsensemedia.org/schools or commonsensemedia.org/educators to get online resources that are free in English and Spanish.
- Check kids’ cell phones for texting histories
- Talk to kids about the legal and life consequences of sexting.
- Be involved in your kid’s life.
- Balance screen time with other activities.
- Know where your kids are going online. Check browser histories.
- Use privacy controls.
- Protect passwords.
- Discuss ethics with kids: Teach them not to text, write, photograph or send something about someone they would not want written about themselves; and to flag or report inappropriate content.
