Don't Sext.

Sexting: sending partially nude to nude images or video or sexually explicit messages via text

A recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that 15 percent of teenagers ages 12 to 17 have sexted. Some people have been prosecuted on child pornography laws because of sexting. Is this right?

I think that sexting should not be considered illegal. For example, if a girl named Bonnie sends a nude picture of herself to her boyfriend, named Norman, and she took and sent the picture of her own will then it is not illegal. The picture is not hurting anyone but potentially Bonnie. No one is taking advantage of anyone else or forcing anyone to do anything. In this situation, Bonnie did nothing illegal.

Nevertheless, a person should be allowed to press sexual harassment charges against someone who sends them unwanted sexts. For example, if a boy named Norman takes nude pictures of himself and sends them to a girl he just met, named Bonnie, and she is disturbed and offended by this, then she should be able able to hold Norman acountable for his actions.

However, should a person also be able to press charges if he or she sexted someone and then that someone sent the message to other people? For example, if Bonnie sent a nude picture of herself to her longterm boyfriend, Norman and Norman sent that picture to all of his friends, should Norman be held accountable for his actions? I believe that he should be. Bonnie trusted Norman in their relationship and he humiliated her. I don't think that this is necessarily a huge offence as far as punishments go but Norman exposed something that was very personal and very private.

There is a way to avoid the situation completely, though. Don't be stupid. Do NOT send pictures or video or anything of yourself that you want to keep private. Keep things that are personal, personal. Don't give anyone the ability to expose you. Don't expose yourself.

Article Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/15/pew.sexting.survey/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting

Picture Source:

http://yorkstudentrn.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/texting.jpeg

The Advantage of Cyber Bullying

A group of teenagers in Newark, Ohio including a nameless minor followed Alexis Xanders and her boyfriend, who were walking home one day after school, with a video camera. They were in a dispute about what kind of music they like. The group and the nameless suspect were angry with Xanders because she doesn’t like to listen to Insane Clown Posse, a hip hop group. Xanders listens to alternative and scream-o music.

The group spends the entire video egging the suspect on, telling her to hit Xanders. They say they want to see a fight and they tell the suspect to start one. Xanders and her boyfriend just tell the group to go away. At the end of the video the suspect delivers a punch in the face to Xanders, who is then comforted by her boyfriend.

Xanders was sent the video by one of the students who recorded it. This was a mistake. Xanders posted the video on YouTube and CNN iReport. Six to ten people witnessed the actual incident but thousands of people viewed the video, including a local news reporter who alerted the police department.

The suspect was charged as a juvenile with individual counts of assault and menacing and unlawful restraint. The other teenagers involved are also being investigated for encouraging the punch.

Cyber-bullying is a new and improved version of bullying that involves posting embarrassing or harassing information on the internet or sending it to people through text and instant messages. It’s about using technology to bully an individual. This can have an awful effect on the victim; however, it can also give the victim an advantage that traditional bullying does not. If technology is used, then more people are able to view the information, and it is more likely that people will get involved and stop the bullying. That’s the only thing that can take care of the problem. Someone has to speak up before authorities can step in and take care of it.

Xanders never physically fought back, but she did do something to fight against bullying. After the incident, she has a piece of advice to give to anyone in a similar situation: "Tell somebody and do something about it. Don't just sit there and take it. You can use your words and not your hands."

Article Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/10/social.media.bullying/

Picture Source:

http://www.childline.org.uk/Explore/OnlineSafety/Pages/CyberBullying.aspx