TMCnet News
'Sexting' happening 'more and more'(Tribune-Review Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 2--A click of a cell phone camera takes less than a second, but the sexually explicit photograph it captures can last forever. "Those pictures can't be taken back when they're put on the Internet," said John Shehan, director of the exploited children division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "It can have a lifetime's repercussion." Six Greensburg Salem High School students, 10 in Fayette County and a Mt. Lebanon youth are among teens in Southwestern Pennsylvania who know some of the consequences. They have been charged in juvenile court with child pornography offenses for sending or receiving sexually explicit photos via cell phones, according to police. The practice of "sexting," sending sexually explicit photos or messages from cell phone to cell phone, has brought criminal charges against young people across the nation. "It's something that has surfaced over the last few years. We're seeing sexting more and more," Shehan said. About 20 percent of 1,280 teens interviewed in 2008 in a National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy survey said they had posted online or had electronically sent nude or semi-nude images of themselves. Shehan said his group's tip-line last year received 130 calls about the misuse of cell phones involving children. Reports included adults sending illegal text messages and teens transmitting risque photos. The frequency of sexting is unknown. Some cases go undetected. Some are not prosecuted, due to a lack of evidence. Ebony Pugh, Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman, said no sexting incidents have been reported among the district's 28,000 students. "Of course, the only way we would know is if a student would notify us," she said. Michael Piecuch, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, said the high number of sexting cases illustrates the tenacity of technology. "It's not like with (photo) negatives. You could find them and destroy them. (Cell phone images) multiply like rabbits," Piecuch said. Several factors have contributed to the fad, including the ease in using cell phones and computers. Lisa Rullo, a Greensburg Salem administrator, said some students don't realize the serious consequences of sexting, including photos making their way to the Internet. Thomas Kelly of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, an expert on child behavior, said teens often engage in risky behavior out of impulse or because of peer pressure. "If they were told at the time that (photos) could be uploaded to a computer, they might not be that willing to do it, or they might have thought twice," he said. The year-old case involving the Mt. Lebanon teen was turned over to juvenile authorities after explicit photos were discovered on cell phones, municipal police said. Police said they made efforts to keep those pictures from the Internet. In the Greensburg case, authorities don't believe the photos reached the Internet. But they can't guarantee it. Fayette County Assistant District Attorney Phyllis Jin, who handles juvenile court cases, said in one case a state police computer crimes specialist saw a photo on the Internet and traced it to a cell phone. Pedophiles prize such pictures, Jin said. "I don't think the kids realize how scary it is," she said. Charging teens with pornography offenses for sexting has raised debate. Some law enforcement officials said criminal charges force parents and teens to go to a hearing and to address any behavioral problems. Others feel police and prosecutors are being too aggressive and should not use laws intended for adults. Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck said child pornography charges are appropriate in the Greensburg case, despite the teens' ages. "Hopefully, it will stop if we file the charges," Jin said. "I understand the kids are exploring ... but they don't realize what they're getting into is a problem, and what they're doing is wrong." Shehan said the decision to file charges against teens can be a difficult issue for a prosecutor. "At the same time, we can't turn a blind eye when these cases are on the rise," he said. Teen sexting cases in juvenile court are handled in private hearings. Jim Anderson, executive director of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges' Commission, said outcomes range from dismissal of the charges, to community service, to placement in a treatment facility. "In juvenile court, the goal is not punishment," Jin said. "The goal of juvenile court is to help them and rehabilitation. Most of them ... are placed in the custody of their parents and do community service, pay fines and costs. They then are monitored to make sure they're staying on track and are OK." A judge determines whether the teen will carry a permanent record or whether the charges can be expunged, wiping the record clean. The mother of one Greensburg Salem boy worries about how his texting arrest could affect his future employment. "This is going to ruin his life," said the mother, who asked not to be identified. "My son didn't know this girl. He had seen her around school, and it was texted to him. He didn't take the picture. "I think the kids are being kids. I know it's wrong for him to keep it on his phone, but he's 16," the mother said. "That's what 16-year-olds do." Stacy Snyder knows about the powerful reach of the Internet. In 2006, she was days from receiving her degree from Millersville University in Lancaster County. Then, on Snyder's MySpace page, university officials saw a picture of her in a buccaneer costume, holding a plastic cup. A caption said, "drunken pirate." University officials denied her a teaching degree, in part because of that Internet photo, Snyder claimed in a lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond dismissed her complaint last month. Everyone from university officials to human resource directors to pedophiles uses the Internet. Michael Couch of Michael Couch and Associates, an employment consulting firm on Pittsburgh's North Side, said more employers are doing background checks. "I find, in this day and era, it's becoming very, very common," Couch said. "The more research a company can do, the better, and the Internet offers a variety of ways of doing that." To avoid legal problems, many firms hire outside groups to do Internet checks after job candidates sign consent forms, he added. Kevin D. Ashley, a University of Pittsburgh law professor and an expert on Internet practices, said information put on the Web with no effort to limit its spread -- through a password or other means -- generally is fair game. According to Kelly, research shows that parents who speak to their kids about cell-phone or computer use, drugs or alcohol have fewer problems with them. Parents should learn how phones, computers and other forms of technology work. "Parents need to do their homework," Shehan said. To see more of the Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/. Copyright (c) 2009, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |