10 Things
Parents and Children should know about Sexting:
- Sexting is the
sharing of explicit photos or words via cell phone.
- 20% of teenagers
have taken nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves and sent
them to another person.
- It is illegal to
create explicit pictures of a minor, possess them or distribute them.
- About 1 in 5
teens risk imprisonment for possession of child pornography for sexting,
even if consented to.
- Sexting makes
your son or daughter more vulnerable to becoming a victim of sexual
predators.
- While the law is
intended to protect minors from adults, minors are not exempt from the
consequences of creating or distributing images even if they are of
themselves.
- In addition to
jail time, those convicted of sending or possessing explicit photos of a
minor may have to register as a sex offender.
- Sexting makes
children more vulnerable to “Cyber Bullying”.
- Cyber Bullying
is when a child or teen is threatened, harassed, humiliated or otherwise
targeted by their peers using the Internet, interactive and digital
technologies, or cell phones.
- Sexting and
Cyber Bullying can make your child’s formative middle- and high-school
years a nightmare.
Keep Your Kids Safe:
Talk with your kids and inform them about the
risks of sexting!
Monitor your child’s phone and Internet use.
Be proactive if a situation arises and notify
school and law enforcement agencies immediately!
Patricia R. Schissel,
LMSW,
President, AHA
Asperger Syndrome and
HFA Assoc.
PO Box 916
Bethpage, NY 11714
888.918.9198
www.ahany.org email: pats@ahany.org
