According to National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. roughly 20% of teens admit to participating in “sexting,”   What is “sexting,” you ask?

“Sexting” is the popular name for the act of sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually suggestive or explicit words and/or photos via a text message on a cell phone or posting on social network Website such as MySpace or Facebook. 

Parents, educators, youth community leaders and law enforcement are just beginning to grasp what sexting is and what they can do to educate and prevent this form of behavior.  Newspaper articles and television news throughout the country are reporting similar accounts of sexting that include:

“In October a Texas eighth-grader spent the night in a juvenile detention center after his football coach found a nude picture on his cell phone that a fellow student sent him.”

CBS News, April 9, 2009

 “A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a prosecutor from filing child pornography charges against three northeastern Pennsylvania teenagers who appeared in racy photos that turned up on classmates’ cell phones.”

           Minneapolis Tribune, March 30, 2009

What Parents Can Do To Prevent Sexting

Parents should handle sexting in the same manner and concern as other objectionable media and communication concerns by:

• Holding a conversation with your child regarding what sexting is, the legal ramifications (federal offense) and why you do not want your child to participate in these acts.

Note: At this point, the American legal and judicial system is trying to figure out what crime to charge teens when they participate in sexting. The crime itself, if committed by an adult, would be child pornography. This is a federal offense.  Most law makers, however, do not currently feel that the current laws fit the sexting crime.

• Monitor your child’s cell phone use in a similar manner as you monitor the television and computer.
• Limit your child cell phone capabilities (if necessary) to not include texting or picture taking.
• Continue to stay knowledgeable and updated of all communication devices that your child uses.
• Speak with the parents of your child’s friends and share your concerns.  Do this proactively before something happens.
• Share your concern with your child’s school administrators, teachers and youth group leaders to see what they are doing to teach and prevent sexting.  Schools throughout the country are now beginning to become more proactive in this area and education is very important to help reduce the act of sexting.