IL- ‘Sexting’ causing a stir around nation

12-11-2008 Illinois:

Teens sharing nude photos of themselves, others via cell phone

GALESBURG — Lapses in judgment have been a part of the teenage experience for centuries, but teens living in the digital age can make poor decisions that have far-reaching ramifications.

In a recent trend sweeping middle and high schools across the nation, teens are photographing themselves or others in the nude via mobile phone and circulating the pictures to others. The practice, now called “sexting,” has caused an uproar on many campuses.

Last month, the Aledo Police Department notified parents in Aledo District 201 that photos of students had been surfacing in this manner.

“We’ve taken a couple of complaints about these type of offenses,” Aledo School Resource Officer Shay Litwiler said. “It takes on a serious nature as far as the law. It’s so easy to send out pictures; it just causes a lot of problems.”

Two cheerleaders near Seattle were suspended earlier this year after nude pictures of them spread through their school via mobile phones. Last week, a Wisconsin teenager was charged with exposing a child to harmful material for showing classmates nude photos of his former girlfriend and other girls.

A few reports of such behavior have surfaced in Galesburg District 205 in the last few years, with one incident recently occurring at Churchill Junior High School.

“In three years, we’ve had one, maybe two, cases of inappropriate use of cell phones with pictures,” said Churchill Principal Bart Arthur. “We are very fortunate that we don’t have much of that problem (but) if we catch them with it, we take really severe actions.”

Though he could not go into specific detail about any of the cases, Arthur explained that the school has been notified about the issues in various ways.

“Most of the time, it comes because kids are talking about it and it ends up getting to an adult,” he explained. Parents also have brought information to school administrators, and some pictures have been found when mobile phones have been confiscated.

Students are not allowed to have their phones with them during school hours.

Circulating lewd photographs is considered a Category II offense under the District 205 Secondary Disciplinary Code. Possible responses are out-of-school suspension, assignment to an alternative program or recommendation for expulsion.

If legal action is taken, teens can face much stiffer penalties. If the photos make their way to the Internet, there is no way of erasing the images permanently, and those pictures can follow a teen for the rest of his or her life.

A recent study conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com revealed that one-fifth of teenagers surveyed have sent or posted nude or seminude pictures or video of themselves, usually to a boyfriend or girlfriend. Almost one-third have received illicit images.

Galesburg Police Department Capt. Lindsey May said he has not yet received any reports of teens circulating explicit pictures on their phones, but that such behavior could be cause for serious legal actions.

“The advances of technology have brought about a lot of things of concern,” he said. “They don’t know who they’re talking to or who they’re sharing that information with, so that’s of concern. If there’s minors involved, we always involve their parents” in the investigation.

“Sometimes, I don’t think they (students) realize when they do it that it (the picture) can go out to so many more people than they’re sending it to,” Arthur stated. “I think some are testing the boundaries. Some of these things they are able to watch (on TV and in movies) make it appear that it’s real life and it’s OK to do those things.” ..News Source.. by MICHELLE SHERMAN, The Register-Mail