This week I learned about the term "sexting" which means to text sexual content. I didn't know it had it's own catchy phrase. After reading the article and watching the videos on Hope Witsell and Jesse Logan sexting, I learned about the problems that can occur when teens get involved in this. In both cases, the girls sent a provocative picture message of themselves to one recipient, which ended up in the hands of all of the students in thier schools. The classmates taunted and teased the girls so badly that suicide seemed to be the only way out.
My first reaction is to try and let these teens, who feel like they are in a hopeless situation with only one way out, know that there is hope. I want to tell them that things get better, that in hindsight, this is not that dire of a situation. But I know that adolescents don't have the ability to see things the way we do; to them nothing is more important and never will be more important than what is happening to them right now. It's such a sad situation.
The question has been asked what is the schools responsibility, if any, so schools have to use technology responsibly? First of all, one of the mothers mentioned that there was a law broken here, so that should be addressed. But are schools responsible for teaching students every law? If there is a moral question on how technology is used, who is the school to say what moral and what's immoral?
I think the easy way out for a school is to say it's not their responsibility, but I also believe that they would be doing a diservice. Schools are not just places for students to learn the core subjects and then go home. In schools, children learn how to interact with other people, communication, social behavior, basic life skills. Schools are where adolescents learn about the world around them, on a social and profesional level. If a school wants to provide the best education, technological responsibilty should be in the lesson plan.
This issue is so new and the age group is so young that law enforcement and prosecutors do not know how to handle the situation. When you sext inappropriate pictures - is it trafficing pornography? Can you be considered a sex offender? What would the punishment be?
ReplyDeleteIn the video with Jesse Logan's mother, the sexting expert said that it is against the law. When you disseminate or disperse naked pictures of a child under 18, its considered child pornography even if the person who's picture it is sends the picture. Jesse's mother said that the school should be held accountable, but I don't see how unless the teens involved use some school medium like a local network or if the picture was taken at school. I think the school should teach the kids what the law is concerning sexting and that it's not permitted. But the school should not be held accountable for everything a student does outside the school walls. For example, if a student robs a convenient store should the school be held accountable?
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