It can not be stressed enough how important it is to always keep an open line of communication with your children and be aware of their online activities.
Quite often there are situations where adolescents may find themselves under pressure to either take explicit pictures of themselves or pass on those taken by others. The reason may be that they want to please a boyfriend/girlfriend or possibly they simply want to do what they think everyone else is doing. There are also times where children may have been persuaded to do this by an adult or someone they’ve met online.
Once the images are uploaded, there is no control over how, where, or to whom the images may be shared online. This type of online activity can leave a child vulnerable to humiliation and embarrassment, bullying from peers or even blackmail. The images could also easily make their way into the hands of a sexual predator.
The practice of sending and receiving sexually explicit messages, videos or photos is commonly referred to as “sexting.” Many may see sexting between adolescents of similar age as a harmless activity but taking, sharing or receiving a sexually explicit image can have a long-lasting impact on a child’s self-esteem, causing emotional distress.
This sharing of inappropriate material can lead to negative comments by others and/or bullying, and can be very upsetting. Explicit content may spread rapidly over the internet and affect a child’s reputation at school and in the community, both now and in the future.
Please remind your adolescent children that when juveniles engage in sexting, they’re creating an indecent image of a person under the age of 18 which, even if they take it themselves, is not permitted by law. Distributing an indecent image of a child – e.g. sending it via text – is also not permissible by law. (See Florida Statute 847.0141 for laws regarding sexting between minors.)
If your child, or a child you know, has been persuaded or coerced into activity of this sort, please contact Taylor County Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency.
