Memphis Teens Posting Provocative Pictures On-Line

1-10-2009 Tennessee:

Memphis, TN -- Teens posing in their underwear and flaunting their bodies are posting provocative pictures on-line. A new study says more than half of all teen girls have sexy pictures on websites like MySpace and Facebook and experts say these teens are putting themselves at great risk.

We did a quick search on-line and found a number of pictures, including an 18 year-old from Memphis posing on a bathroom sink in her underwear. Another girl struck a provocative pose in what looked like a school classroom. A teen from Horn Lake, Mississippi posed in several different pairs of bras and underwear in her bedroom.

"It's a huge risk,” says FBI Supervisor of Special Agents V.O. Little. “That's what predators are looking for, an opportunity. These girls put those photos out there so predators think they're interested in talking to them."

A new study by “Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine” shows 90 percent of all U.S. teens have access to the Internet. About half of those teens mention drugs, alcohol, sex or violence on their MySpace or Facebook pages. The FBI says one third of all teens report being sexually harassed on-line.

"It can be a danger to them safety wise and reputation wise. Employers look on those pages and schools too. If a teen is applying for college scholarships, the universities are going to those sites as well," says Little.

Experts say as a parent, it's your duty to know what your child is doing on-line. Make sure you know your child's passwords to websites and also make sure the computer is in a public area of the house, not in the teen's bedroom. ..Source.. by Dana Rebik