How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting

PARENTING: How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting and Protect Them From Other Teens Who Do...

With the ubiquity of ever more powerful cell phones, sexting has become an increasing concern for the parents of teenagers and preteens. This article describes how you can protect your child from the dangers of sexting, an activity that has major implications for long-term online reputation and electronic privacy.

Sexting refers to sharing nude or near nude pictures, usually via a mobile phone. Most experts distinguish between sending naked photos, an activity with serious privacy, health, and legal implications, and simply sending suggestive text messages, which is less harmful.

Understand why teenagers engage in sexting

Although teens are less concerned with online reputation management than adults, that doesn’t mean they are unaware of the electronic privacy implications of sexting. Teenagers sext for completely understandable reasons, so drop the “my child would never do that” attitude. According to two recent surveys (PDF), approximately 1 in 10 American teenagers have sent sexts, and approximately 1 in 3 have received them.

Some of the reasons teenagers send sexually explicit photos include the following:

- Peer pressure or cyberbullying
- Self-esteem issues
- Rebelliousness, or the sense that they should be allowed to decide
- As a romantic gesture
- Because it feels naughty, liberating, or grown-up
- As a sexual favor in exchange for other services

Below are some other statistics useful in developing a rounded picture:

- Girls are slightly more likely to send explicit photos than boys.
- Of teenagers that do send sexually explicit photos, about 10 percent willfully send them to people they don’t even know. One teen girl even sent nude photos of herself to an entire school hockey team.
- Approximately 80 percent of young people in the U.S. under the age of 18 believe sexting is wrong, although some of those same teens do it anyway.
- Most teens that send sexts never get caught.

Learn about the actual dangers of sexting

As it turns out, teens are fairly well educated as to the dangers of exposing private information or photos digitally. They also understand the impact on their online reputations, at least among their peer groups. Datafrom the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire suggests that sharing personal information electronically does not on its own correlate to an increased risk of harm. According to a survey of American adolescents, 3 out of 4 get it right when they say that sharing personal information or photos online falls between “somewhat safe” and “somewhat unsafe,” similar to the danger of underage drinking.

Where teens fall short is in their understanding of the legal ramifications of sexting. Simply stated, sending sexts of people under 18 years of age is illegal. Beyond online reputation, teens that send sexually explicit photos can be convicted of child pornography charges and have their names permanently placed on registered sex offenders lists. This has already happened: One Florida youth received five years probation and registration as a sex offender when he send nude photos of his ex-girlfriend to her entire family and school.

This scenario is made worse by the fact that teens are highly likely to share the sexts they receive, with little regard to the electronic privacy of the sender. Even if your child would never engage in sexting under normal circumstances, the temptation to forward unsolicited naked photos of a classmate, like the ones sent by the Florida teen above, can be hard to resist. But it can land your child in jail.

Educate your teen respectfully

You will not stop your teen from sexting by adopting a stern, draconian attitude. They can outwit you technologically and they know it, so prevention is the best form of protection. Show your children that you understand the actual dangers and the pressures they face.

Sit down with your teen in a non-confrontational, non-threatening environment. Tell your child that you want to talk about digital privacy, and ask if they know if their peers engage in sexting. (Chances are they do know, whether or not they tell you about it.)

Next, explain that you understand why teens sext, but also emphasize the legal dangers. Explain that if he or she receives a sext, it should under no circumstances be distributed because distribution is a violation of privacy laws. Also explain that if you find child pornography on the child’s phone, you may be legally required to take it to the police.

If you have already found evidence that your child is sexting, consider counseling through your teen’s school or with local law enforcement. An embarrassing slap on the wrist is better than a child pornography conviction. For teens whose online reputation has been tarnished by a sexting mistake gone bad, contact a web reputation management firm like Reputation Defender.

Adopt a healthy digital environment at home and engage in appropriate monitoring

Teens who engage in more destructive forms of sexting often also have other problems, ranging from abuse of drugs or medications to binge drinking or over-reliance on anti-depressants. The best way to cope with this type of sexting is to maintain a healthy home environment where teens feel like part of a connected family.

For starters, ban cell phones at the dinner table or during other family activities. (Yes, that means your BlackBerry is banned too.) Additionally, insist that phone chargers stay in the parents’ bedroom, where children won’t have access after bedtime. This prevents round-the-clock peer pressure caused by the 100 text messages that the average American teen girl sends daily. And when it comes to sexting, the best form of privacy protection is lack of access.

Next, instigate routine monitoring at random times, when you and your teen sit down together to go through multimedia phone messages. Stay away from your teen’s texts, only look at photos and videos. You want to show respect for privacy and that you’re only concerned with protection. Also, allow the child to operate the phone during these sessions, though make sure you know how the phone works so that they can’t dupe you. Knowing that their phone will be observed will help children to stay on the straight and narrow.

Sexting is yet another modern danger for parents to worry about, but if you adopt family-centric, respectful parenting techniques combined with education, you can rest assured that your child is likely to make the right choice.

How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting

PARENTING: How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting and Protect Them From Other Teens Who Do...

With the ubiquity of ever more powerful cell phones, sexting has become an increasing concern for the parents of teenagers and preteens. This article describes how you can protect your child from the dangers of sexting, an activity that has major implications for long-term online reputation and electronic privacy.

Sexting refers to sharing nude or near nude pictures, usually via a mobile phone. Most experts distinguish between sending naked photos, an activity with serious privacy, health, and legal implications, and simply sending suggestive text messages, which is less harmful.

Understand why teenagers engage in sexting

Although teens are less concerned with online reputation management than adults, that doesn’t mean they are unaware of the electronic privacy implications of sexting. Teenagers sext for completely understandable reasons, so drop the “my child would never do that” attitude. According to two recent surveys (PDF), approximately 1 in 10 American teenagers have sent sexts, and approximately 1 in 3 have received them.

Some of the reasons teenagers send sexually explicit photos include the following:

- Peer pressure or cyberbullying
- Self-esteem issues
- Rebelliousness, or the sense that they should be allowed to decide
- As a romantic gesture
- Because it feels naughty, liberating, or grown-up
- As a sexual favor in exchange for other services

Below are some other statistics useful in developing a rounded picture:

- Girls are slightly more likely to send explicit photos than boys.
- Of teenagers that do send sexually explicit photos, about 10 percent willfully send them to people they don’t even know. One teen girl even sent nude photos of herself to an entire school hockey team.
- Approximately 80 percent of young people in the U.S. under the age of 18 believe sexting is wrong, although some of those same teens do it anyway.
- Most teens that send sexts never get caught.

Learn about the actual dangers of sexting

As it turns out, teens are fairly well educated as to the dangers of exposing private information or photos digitally. They also understand the impact on their online reputations, at least among their peer groups. Datafrom the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire suggests that sharing personal information electronically does not on its own correlate to an increased risk of harm. According to a survey of American adolescents, 3 out of 4 get it right when they say that sharing personal information or photos online falls between “somewhat safe” and “somewhat unsafe,” similar to the danger of underage drinking.

Where teens fall short is in their understanding of the legal ramifications of sexting. Simply stated, sending sexts of people under 18 years of age is illegal. Beyond online reputation, teens that send sexually explicit photos can be convicted of child pornography charges and have their names permanently placed on registered sex offenders lists. This has already happened: One Florida youth received five years probation and registration as a sex offender when he send nude photos of his ex-girlfriend to her entire family and school.

This scenario is made worse by the fact that teens are highly likely to share the sexts they receive, with little regard to the electronic privacy of the sender. Even if your child would never engage in sexting under normal circumstances, the temptation to forward unsolicited naked photos of a classmate, like the ones sent by the Florida teen above, can be hard to resist. But it can land your child in jail.

Educate your teen respectfully

You will not stop your teen from sexting by adopting a stern, draconian attitude. They can outwit you technologically and they know it, so prevention is the best form of protection. Show your children that you understand the actual dangers and the pressures they face.

Sit down with your teen in a non-confrontational, non-threatening environment. Tell your child that you want to talk about digital privacy, and ask if they know if their peers engage in sexting. (Chances are they do know, whether or not they tell you about it.)

Next, explain that you understand why teens sext, but also emphasize the legal dangers. Explain that if he or she receives a sext, it should under no circumstances be distributed because distribution is a violation of privacy laws. Also explain that if you find child pornography on the child’s phone, you may be legally required to take it to the police.

If you have already found evidence that your child is sexting, consider counseling through your teen’s school or with local law enforcement. An embarrassing slap on the wrist is better than a child pornography conviction. For teens whose online reputation has been tarnished by a sexting mistake gone bad, contact a web reputation management firm like Reputation Defender.

Adopt a healthy digital environment at home and engage in appropriate monitoring

Teens who engage in more destructive forms of sexting often also have other problems, ranging from abuse of drugs or medications to binge drinking or over-reliance on anti-depressants. The best way to cope with this type of sexting is to maintain a healthy home environment where teens feel like part of a connected family.

For starters, ban cell phones at the dinner table or during other family activities. (Yes, that means your BlackBerry is banned too.) Additionally, insist that phone chargers stay in the parents’ bedroom, where children won’t have access after bedtime. This prevents round-the-clock peer pressure caused by the 100 text messages that the average American teen girl sends daily. And when it comes to sexting, the best form of privacy protection is lack of access.

Next, instigate routine monitoring at random times, when you and your teen sit down together to go through multimedia phone messages. Stay away from your teen’s texts, only look at photos and videos. You want to show respect for privacy and that you’re only concerned with protection. Also, allow the child to operate the phone during these sessions, though make sure you know how the phone works so that they can’t dupe you. Knowing that their phone will be observed will help children to stay on the straight and narrow.

Sexting is yet another modern danger for parents to worry about, but if you adopt family-centric, respectful parenting techniques combined with education, you can rest assured that your child is likely to make the right choice.

How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting

PARENTING: How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting and Protect Them From Other Teens Who Do...

With the ubiquity of ever more powerful cell phones, sexting has become an increasing concern for the parents of teenagers and preteens. This article describes how you can protect your child from the dangers of sexting, an activity that has major implications for long-term online reputation and electronic privacy.

Sexting refers to sharing nude or near nude pictures, usually via a mobile phone. Most experts distinguish between sending naked photos, an activity with serious privacy, health, and legal implications, and simply sending suggestive text messages, which is less harmful.

Understand why teenagers engage in sexting

Although teens are less concerned with online reputation management than adults, that doesn’t mean they are unaware of the electronic privacy implications of sexting. Teenagers sext for completely understandable reasons, so drop the “my child would never do that” attitude. According to two recent surveys (PDF), approximately 1 in 10 American teenagers have sent sexts, and approximately 1 in 3 have received them.

Some of the reasons teenagers send sexually explicit photos include the following:

- Peer pressure or cyberbullying
- Self-esteem issues
- Rebelliousness, or the sense that they should be allowed to decide
- As a romantic gesture
- Because it feels naughty, liberating, or grown-up
- As a sexual favor in exchange for other services

Below are some other statistics useful in developing a rounded picture:

- Girls are slightly more likely to send explicit photos than boys.
- Of teenagers that do send sexually explicit photos, about 10 percent willfully send them to people they don’t even know. One teen girl even sent nude photos of herself to an entire school hockey team.
- Approximately 80 percent of young people in the U.S. under the age of 18 believe sexting is wrong, although some of those same teens do it anyway.
- Most teens that send sexts never get caught.

Learn about the actual dangers of sexting

As it turns out, teens are fairly well educated as to the dangers of exposing private information or photos digitally. They also understand the impact on their online reputations, at least among their peer groups. Datafrom the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire suggests that sharing personal information electronically does not on its own correlate to an increased risk of harm. According to a survey of American adolescents, 3 out of 4 get it right when they say that sharing personal information or photos online falls between “somewhat safe” and “somewhat unsafe,” similar to the danger of underage drinking.

Where teens fall short is in their understanding of the legal ramifications of sexting. Simply stated, sending sexts of people under 18 years of age is illegal. Beyond online reputation, teens that send sexually explicit photos can be convicted of child pornography charges and have their names permanently placed on registered sex offenders lists. This has already happened: One Florida youth received five years probation and registration as a sex offender when he send nude photos of his ex-girlfriend to her entire family and school.

This scenario is made worse by the fact that teens are highly likely to share the sexts they receive, with little regard to the electronic privacy of the sender. Even if your child would never engage in sexting under normal circumstances, the temptation to forward unsolicited naked photos of a classmate, like the ones sent by the Florida teen above, can be hard to resist. But it can land your child in jail.

Educate your teen respectfully

You will not stop your teen from sexting by adopting a stern, draconian attitude. They can outwit you technologically and they know it, so prevention is the best form of protection. Show your children that you understand the actual dangers and the pressures they face.

Sit down with your teen in a non-confrontational, non-threatening environment. Tell your child that you want to talk about digital privacy, and ask if they know if their peers engage in sexting. (Chances are they do know, whether or not they tell you about it.)

Next, explain that you understand why teens sext, but also emphasize the legal dangers. Explain that if he or she receives a sext, it should under no circumstances be distributed because distribution is a violation of privacy laws. Also explain that if you find child pornography on the child’s phone, you may be legally required to take it to the police.

If you have already found evidence that your child is sexting, consider counseling through your teen’s school or with local law enforcement. An embarrassing slap on the wrist is better than a child pornography conviction. For teens whose online reputation has been tarnished by a sexting mistake gone bad, contact a web reputation management firm like Reputation Defender.

Adopt a healthy digital environment at home and engage in appropriate monitoring

Teens who engage in more destructive forms of sexting often also have other problems, ranging from abuse of drugs or medications to binge drinking or over-reliance on anti-depressants. The best way to cope with this type of sexting is to maintain a healthy home environment where teens feel like part of a connected family.

For starters, ban cell phones at the dinner table or during other family activities. (Yes, that means your BlackBerry is banned too.) Additionally, insist that phone chargers stay in the parents’ bedroom, where children won’t have access after bedtime. This prevents round-the-clock peer pressure caused by the 100 text messages that the average American teen girl sends daily. And when it comes to sexting, the best form of privacy protection is lack of access.

Next, instigate routine monitoring at random times, when you and your teen sit down together to go through multimedia phone messages. Stay away from your teen’s texts, only look at photos and videos. You want to show respect for privacy and that you’re only concerned with protection. Also, allow the child to operate the phone during these sessions, though make sure you know how the phone works so that they can’t dupe you. Knowing that their phone will be observed will help children to stay on the straight and narrow.

Sexting is yet another modern danger for parents to worry about, but if you adopt family-centric, respectful parenting techniques combined with education, you can rest assured that your child is likely to make the right choice.

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The Automatic Earth: March 16, 2011: How Black is the Japanese Nuclear Swan?

How Black is the Japanese Nuclear Swan?

The last 50 workers have fled the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi plant as the radiation in the 4th reactor shoots up. As of a few hours ago PST No one remains. Complete meltdown is now probable.

 Japan suspends work at stricken nuclear plant 
Japan suspended operations to keep its stricken nuclear plant from melting down Wednesday after surging radiation made it too dangerous to stay.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the workers dousing the reactors in a frantic effort to cool them needed to withdraw.  The workers cannot carry out even minimal work at the plant now," Edano said. "Because of the radiation risk we are on standby," he said. Edano said the government expects to ask the U.S. military for help. He did not elaborate. He said the government is still considering whether and how to take up the various offers of help from other countries.


The surge in radiation was apparently the result of a Tuesday explosion in the complex's Unit 4 reactor, according to officials with Japan's nuclear safety agency. That blast is thought to have damaged the reactor's suppression chamber, a water-filled pipe outside the nuclear core that is part of the emergency cooling system.

Disenfranchised-Educators: SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN MEMPHIS

Disenfranchised-Educators: SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN MEMPHIS

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Head of School Administrators Association Dan Domenech Candidly Discuss the Promise and Cynicism Around Historic Collaboration Conference

Organizers of unprecedented labor-management gathering answer tough questions...

• 
  

Mount Wilson, CA, March 15, 2011

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Well folks, I called it in 2008. I wrote more than one article on economics and the REAL agenda behind "No Child Left Behind." I called it a foreseeable depression or deflationary spiral when then president "W" said there was no recession. A few days ago, Fontana USD pinked every single Counselor in order to save it's Football and Baseball Programs. For Now! This after telling the enraged public at the previous meeting that they wouldn't dismantle either. This week Moreno Valley USD  pinked approximately 318 teachers, counselors and administrators. We still haven't hit bottom. We are enjoying the short lived occurrence known in financial cycle theories as a "Dead Cat Bounce." It simply means more downside to come.

 The news out of Washington DC and Wisconsin is not only evidence of the last death throes of American Public Education (Free, Fair and Adequate) as we know it. Moreover, we are probably witness to a turning of the tide for collective bargaining, the idea that unions leveled the field between Workers and the Wealthy Modern Bosses - or corporate board members of today. Lastly the increasing erosion of that which made America the en vie of all the world - our working middle class. You watch what competition does. Education doe NOT manufacture a product. However, that is current measure of it's success. Education  by the standards of Dewey, Whitehead, and other philosophical leaders of the time measured education for the experience, the socialization (equalization) and the opportunity to become equal participants in our American experiment called democracy. No one listened in 2009 and it seems no one cares in 2011. Narcissism, entitlement and self centered apathy rule the day.  Today BAM Radio Network, the education station, released a pre-event interview with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, on the upcoming labor-management collaboration conference, Feb 15-16 in Denver, Colo. The aim of the conference is to find new ways to work together on behalf of students. In the segment, three of the conference organizers talk with RAW Education News Radio host Errol St. Clair Smith about their positive expectations for the unprecedented and potentially historic event. The three conference collaborators also addressed tough questions about community cynicism and fatigue with failed education reform initiatives. The program is available on demand at http://www.bamradionetwork.com or directly athttp://www.bamradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=73&Itemid=190

The program can also be downloaded from iTunes at
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/k-12-greatest-hits-the-best/id334633370

"This can be a turning point, literally for public education in this country," said, Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "If we can create the time and the space for folks to talk and listen, the examples are there…. For those who think we can't do it, the fact of the matter is it's being done today around the country. This is not some hope in the unseen or some imaginary vision. We have concrete examples, district after district, of remarkable breakthroughs," said Duncan.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, National School Boards Association, American Association of School Administrators, Council of the Great City Schools, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Funding to support the conference is being provided by the Ford Foundation.

When asked about the people who have become weary of failed education reform initiatives and have grown cynical, Randi Weingarten replied," You have to respect the cynics because they been through a lot…every three and a half nanoseconds we're trying something new and different that we pretend is going to work and then it doesn't. That's why they're cynical. But the bottom line is this, every teacher I know, every administrator I know, when you start focusing in what works for kids and you create a respectful, trusting, collaborative environment… then you see real motion on behalf of kids."

I, Praetorian

About RAW Education News Radio

RAW Education News delivers C-SPAN-like education news coverage for a new generation. The program aims to update the public affairs programming model by repackaging government affairs content into a format more suited for a growing generation of educators, advocates, journalists and education leaders with limited time and limited attention. The program is called "RAW" because, like the CSPAN model, the programming emphasizes content over glossy production values. Unlike C-SPAN, however, RAW Radio seeks to deliver more of what listeners want, in less time. The program is distributed across the BAM Radio Network.

As Promised: Part two of US Economics. You can't spot the players if you don't understand the GAME!