Alejandra+Editorial

**Sexting, the New Controversy** By ALEJANDRA BADILLO

Parents, teachers, children, the whole world: Sexting has become an epidemic that only YOU can stop.

A recent study by the National campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found 22 percent of US teenage girls and 18 percent of teenage boys have sent messages or posted images or videos on-line showing them nude or semi-nude.

These statistics are gradually increasing, parents have become worried, not only for their child's privacy being publicized, but mainly because their child could possibly be send to jail.

Parents and schools, mainly, are trying to take leadership, and do something to prevent this epidemic from spreading. In Texas, they see it not an issue, but now as a problem.

The Houston school districts has forbid completely from schools the action of sexting. They are doing this for the safety of their students, emotionally and legally. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year schools has banned sexting from ALL school districts.

As Hans Graff, assistant general counsel at the Houston Independent School district mentioned, releasing nude pictures can involve criminal punishment: "A student may be sending pictures to their boyfriend and they break up and he sends it to everybody…Any pictures of an underage child could potentially be child pornography...”

Sending or possessing nude images of people under the age of 18 can, in the eyes of the law, be prosecuted as sexual exploitation of a child. According to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced, registered as a sex offender. Even tried on felony child pornography charges.

These are serious legal consequences for teenagers who engage in "sexting." The bill would carve out an exemption from prosecution for child pornography for 13- to 18-year-old on either the sending or receiving end of sexting messages, so long as the sender voluntarily transmits an image of himself or herself.

This past summer, in MTV a show called: When Privates go Public, showed a teenager faced the crowd of bullies in school, after she send nude pictures to her boyfriend. When they broke up, he showed those pictures to friends, who later on forwarded the picture to other friends.

As depressed as she was, she almost committed suicide. She's not the only one, there has being many stories of teenagers around the country who had been bullied and some have committed suicide, for pressing “send” on their phone.

Teenagers, please be aware of what you send in a text. Think of the consequences of your actions, your future. Remember that once you click “send” your message is potentially public for EVERYONE, not just the person you sent it to.

Parents, be aware of the messages your children send. You can talk to your phone company, and mention that you want a print-out-copy of your children's texts. Talk to your kids about the consequences that come from sending nude pictures. Don't scold them by taking their phones away, or grounding them. Make sure they understand the consequences of their actions, and what can arise from them.