Another thing for Parents of Teens to be aware of...
 

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Forget about passing notes in study hall; some teens are now using their cell phones to flirt and send nude pictures of themselves.

The instant text, picture and video messages have become part of some teens' courtship behavior, police and school officials said. The messages often spread quickly and sometimes find their way to public Web sites.

"I've seen everything from your basic striptease to sexual acts being performed," said Reynoldsburg police Detective Brian Marvin, a member of the FBI Cyber Crime Task Force of Central Ohio. "You name it, they will do it at their home under this perceived anonymity."

Westerville Central High School senior Jerome Ray said he's received such unsolicited messages, including one from a classmate while he was sitting with his girlfriend.

"A lot more girls are aggressive," said Ray, 18. "Some girls are crazy and they are putting themselves out there."

Candice Kelsey, a teacher from California, said some teenage girls think they have to be provocative to get boys' attention. As a result, they will send photos they hope their parents never see.

"This happens a lot," said Kelsey, author of Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence. "It crosses every racial socio-economic group. Christian kids are doing it. Jewish kids are doing it."

Male teens are also doing it.

For instance, a central Ohio high school teen made a sexual cell phone video of himself and sent it to female classmates. One of the girls forward the Westerville South High School's video to at least 30 other people.

A study last year found teens are placing more of an emphasis on image and fame than in the past. Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University who studies young people's trends, found that teens are more confident and assertive than ever before.

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/common/i...quote_open.gifI've seen everything from your basic striptease to sexual acts being performedhttp://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/common/i...uote_close.gif
Reynoldsburg police Detective Brian Marvin

"Adolescents are not known for thinking things through - that's a generational constant," she said. "Now, with the technology that is out there, instead of taking a picture and passing it around the classroom, it's online, which is a whole different ball game. (Teens) don't see it that way."

Mark Raiff, a principal at Columbus' Olentangy Liberty High School, said some of his students and their cell phones have caused trouble.

"They don't see anything wrong with it," he said. "It leaves me speechless."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4013175.shtml


Ari Note: Why didn't we have cool cellphones and skanky teachers when I was in school?

Chalk this one up in the "Another reason my kids won't get a cell phone until they can afford it themselves."

Here is the catcher. Once they do that and send it to their 30 friends anyone of those friends that forwards it to someone else is charged with one count of distributing child pornography each time they do it. This is sure keep the prison lobbyists grinning from ear to ear as I am sure this will more than destroy a number of these kids lifes moving forward.

This has been going on since the video phones became cheaper. It's just escalated more recently when it became socially acceptable to do. Teh practice is just considered flirting. Kind of like signing your abstince pledge but then doing oral and anal with each other.

We are teaching our kids how to be hypocryitical earlier and earlier in life.

I hate big phone.

Ditto here. Or I don't mind giving them a phone as long as it does not have the picture taking/movie capturing abilities.

ROFL

Me too.

If you are a parent of a teenager who has a cell phone, I believe you can download a data recovery software that will record and track the information from your cell phone's SIM card. This is something that escapes most parents today.

Everyone is too plugged in today—including kids. Video fights with witnesses and things like this. It's a new trend with new addicts. One of my daughter's best friends, at only age 14, has been texting, IM'ing with a boy (from a foster home sit no less) and doesn't talk to anyone anymore. This is the only she'll do. Was even texting right in school. Won't do homework—nothing....has completely dropped out of life. Sad.

Many of my kids friends already have cell phones. She's 10. She has asked numerous times for a phone and we've turned her down numerous times. It's amazing to me how many parents let their kids have cell phones.

Yeah, I didn't give mine one either. It was her dad (ex) who gave her one. So she could call us if needed.
Mine isn't allowed a MySpace page and can only IM, email her known local friends here. That it giving her too much homework to have the time helps.

Of course, then some ped puts it on the web and now the kid's life is ruined.

Surely adults don't do this.

PhilFree:arrow:

Why do schools even allow cell phones in school?? There is absolutely no reason to have one in school.