The Charlip Report
April 2009
Sexting and Adolescents: Zealous teenagers find themselves prosecuted under child pornography laws
The combination of teenage sexuality and technology has district attorneys and schools across the nation in hysteria. While discovering one’s sexuality is a normal part of adolescence, the act of “sexting” (or sending nude photos through cell phones) can result in dire, life altering consequences in the future.
According to a recent study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 21% of teen girls and 18% of teen boys have sent or posted nude or semi-nude photos of themselves. In the last month teenagers across the nation have been arrested for posting or sending nude or scantily clad photos of themselves and charged under child pornography laws for possession, production, or distribution of child pornography.
This means that a 14-year old girl who sent a photo to her boyfriend is being tried under the very same laws that were passed to protect her from adult pedophiles. Insane as this legal course of action might be to progressive minded people in the Bay Area, teens who send, receive, forward or post on their MySpace or Facebook pages can be forced under these laws to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives.
Students should never assume anything they send or post on the internet or in text messages will remain private. They should know that anything posted or sent on the internet will remain there permanently. You can not change your mind in cyberspace.
Sources:
NJ girl, 14, arrested after posting nude pics. By Beth Defalco. Posted March 26, 2009
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/969465.html
Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/sextech/
Sexting and the Law of Unintended Consequences. By Stephen Balkam. Posted March 24, 2009.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-balkam/sexting-and-the-law-of-un_b_178223.html
Sexting Girls Facing Porn Charge Sue D.A.: Underage Girls Launch Lawsuit Against Prosecution Over Allegedly Lewd Pictures Found On Classmates’ Cell Phones March 27, 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/27/earlyshow/main4896577.shtml
Sex and Tech: The Stats
http://www.cosmogirl.com/lifeadvice/sex-and-tech-stats
Textual Misconduct: What to do about teens and their dumb naked photos of themselves.
By Dahlia Lithwick Posted Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009, at 6:54 AM ET
http://www.slate.com/id/2211169/
No Tolerance for Bullies: Albany High is a “No Hate Community” (November 2008)
Bullying is as old as the institution of school itself, if not older. Every child and every adult has a memory of the school bully, a character type that spans cultures, generations, ethnic, and language groups. One would imagine that in the progressive, even enlightened Bay Area, school bullies would be few and far between. One would think that in a diverse, tolerant, and generally peaceful community like ours, we have no problem with bullies; but unfortunately, this is not the case. Though there have been few incidents involving bullying this year, it is enough of an issue that we must make a collective effort to address it. We have a zero tolerance policy for such behavior at Albany High, a “No Hate Community.”
For some students coming from middle school, the transition to high school can be stressful and emotionally overwhelming. Bullies generally victimize someone they perceive as weak, yet they themselves may have been victimized or become aggressive in order to cope with the new challenges of high school.
Though we consider bullies part of elementary or middle school, at high school bullying is an insidious kind of aggression, at times taking the form of sexual or ethnic harassment. Bullying can include degrading or taunting comments, exclusion, ridicule, intimidation, threats, stalking, and violence, whether at school or on line. This kind of harassment can take place electronically through the Internet or text messages.
Cyber-bullying in social networking sites such as Myspace or Facebook is common, yet equally unacceptable, and both students and parents are urged to step up and intervene if they find evidence of this kind of communication. We investigate and take any reports of bullying very seriously, intervening as early as possible. Students and families must understand that schools have the responsibility to impose discipline consequences even for off-campus speech (ie. texting, blogs, chatting, etc.) when that speech causes a “substantial disruption” at school or creates a hostile environment or threatens student safety.
We will continue our anti-bullying efforts this year. Last year we had our first Challenge Days with the sophomores, juniors and seniors, a program that had a very positive and lasting effect on the students who participated. In fact many students reported that Challenge Day had changed their lives, giving them greater compassion, tolerance, and conflict resolution skills. It is our hope that all students at AHS will benefit from this incredible program. The next Challenge Day will be in December. Parents interested in participating should contact Tedra Grogans in the Counseling Office.
Sources:
California Technology Assistance Project Region 4 (CTAP4) Cyber Safety Project http://www.ctap4.org/cybersafety/
How to Stop Cyber Bullying, Forbes. 9/15/08 http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/09/15/bully-school-cyber-forbeslife-cx_avd_0915health.html