Teens' nude photos get unexpected results

Boston Globe ^ | 10 December 2008 | Irene Sege

[Fractal Trader]

The high school in Salem, N.H., was abuzz last month as a photograph of a topless 15-year-old girl was sent from cellphone to cellphone.

School staff intervened, and by the time they met with students in assemblies the next day they had discovered another compromising cellphone photo, this one of an eighth-grade girl. They soon found two more photos of naked or nearly naked girls on students' phones. Two weeks later, a similar incident occurred at nearby Sanborn Regional High School. The photograph in question was of a teenage boy.

A report being released today shows that these were not isolated incidents but part of a national trend. One-fifth of teenagers surveyed have sent or posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of themselves, usually to a boyfriend or girlfriend, and almost a third have received such images, according to "Sex and Tech," a new study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com.

Among young adults (ages 20-26), the numbers are higher: One-third said they have posted or sent racy images of themselves, and almost half have received them. TRU, a company that specializes in youth research, conducted the survey online with 1,280 teenagers and young adults selected from its database of research participants.

A spokesman for the National Campaign, a nonprofit group that advocates for sex education and access to contraceptives, said he is concerned about the link between what happens online and what happens in real life.

"What young people report is that this sort of online behavior contributes to a casual hookup culture," said Bill Albert, the group's chief program officer. "The overwhelming majority of teens and young adults don't do this, but when you get numbers like 20 percent and higher for young adults, that passes the threshhold of concern."

[Travis T. OJustice]

The printing press was nearly banned because it was most often used for “dirty pictures”.

[JamesP81]

Personally I can’t wait for the invention of holodecks, no guilt,t disease or commitments whatsoever, truly zip-less sex.

If they ever do get invented, this will be the initial, primary economic reason for doing so.

[Citizen Blade]

But, in some Free Republic articles (I don’t know..., around a month or two ago...) there was mentioned some guy who had a computer in for repair and the technician spotted a picture on his hard drive. The police were called and they looked through the drive and found something like six or seven of them. So, the guy was prosecuted.

Someone being prosecuted for six or seven pictures that are obviously kiddie porn doesn't really bother me, I guess. If it was clear to the tech that these pictures were of underage girls, that guy has some explaining to do.

He was probably new to the whole kiddie porn thing. Veteran child pornography producers and collectors know better than to take a computer to get it fixed.

[dmz]

read my #84 again, Frank. I recognized you were opining. Even mentioned it in my post. I guess we are not permitted to respond to your opinions with our own?

Sort of at odds with the nature of this forum, doncha think?

[Hatteras]

why, send them to Hegewisch Dupa, of course!

[riverdawg]

I understand your point of view, but princess riverdawg always has her phone with her at school and if she needs to reach us, or we need to reach her, the school office is always, at most, a 60-second stroll down the hall. This worked well for grades 1 through 8 when she didn't have a cell phone and, as another poster mentioned, it worked for many generations past.

I don't mean to turn this into a cell-phone rant. They are a great convenience, and in extreme situations can be a life-saver. But ...

in the past week alone, I have heard cell phones ring or vibrate very loudly during a classical concert, a baptism at church, a college seminar room, a banquet speech (it was a Rudy Guiliani moment), and a job interview (yes, the candidate's phone!). Many people who otherwise have fine character and admirable traits have lost all sense of propriety and courtesy when it comes to cell-phone use in the presence of others.

[Star Traveler]

You asked another Freeper — “so who would you want her to send them to???????”

Her girlfriends... maybe... LOL.. (just kidding...)

But, really, let me tell you that no matter how you keep on top of this and how much you think it might not be going on..., it is.

I can see this from some relative that I help keep some computers running and stuff and fix it when there are software problems. They don’t know as much about the computers and so, they are fairly normal about how they use it (as a normal person would). Well, the kid (a young girl) sends stuff (pictures) out on the Internet to others that are compromising pictures. I’ve just stumbled across them a few times and just leave it alone, because I’m not supposed to be snooping but simply fixing stuff. So, I don’t do anything or say anything. But, it’s obvious what is going on. It’s sort of distressing, but I can’t do anything about it (and especially so, knowing the kid and how the family is...). It’s just too bad.

I’ve also heard about some of the other kids and what they do, in regards to these kinds of pictures (from some of the kids in the extended family). It does seem pretty rampant — and it’s *especially so* these days, because I think our society has so very much sexualized things and these kids are acting that out in inappropriate ways and long before they should even be involved (even in appropriate circumstances). It’s a really bad scene, actually...

[FrankR]

OK, one more time, and that's it:

I was making a more general point. The fact that kids did not have cell phones in schools in the past doesn't really answer the question of whether they should have them now.

OHHHHHhhhh....the "more general point" thingie. Good one! The point was that human beings CAN get along without cellphones, it's been done. Maybe it wasn't as convenient, but it's possible.


I suppose. But, there is simply no downside to kids have access to cell phones at all times. You never know when emergencies are going to pop up."

The whole point of the original article was one of the downside...porn, on kids cellphones...remember? As for emergencies...they're a part of life, with or without a cellphone. Forgetting their lunch money is NOT an emergency. Read "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".


Why? Because you don't like cell phones?

Who? Me? I love cellphones. We've had cellphones since they first came out...the old Motorola flip phone. My wife and I both have them and we talk and text daily. We communicate so much we had to get the "unlimited" package to be able to afford it. We run our business via cellphones. We've even gotten rid of our land lines. But then again, we're not kids in a classroom trying to learn.


"So, just have a rule that all cell phones have to be on silent or vibrate and give detention to any kid who violates the rule. Kids and parents stay in contact, and your delicate ears don't get offended."

Your words, not mine. Actually, I was thinking more of the disruption in the school and the disdain of the school officials.

Now, I certainly didn't mean to kickstart your yamaha on this, but it really is my opinion and I intend to stick to it. If it makes you feel more secure - and that is what all this is about - then you buy your kids all the cellphones they can carry. After all, it's the new high-tech, long-distance version of a "wireless nursury monitor".

But they still should be turned off in the classroom.

I'm done witju.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

oh my God no - if I'm going to jail I'd rather it be something fun and all-adult - so thanks but no thanks!

[JamesP81]

Actually, I was thinking more of the disruption in the school and the disdain of the school officials.

A cell phone is hardly required for me to hold school officials in complete disdain and utter contempt. And if the kids show that towards public skrewl officials, well, it's hard for me to get upset over that. Two words: teacher's union.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

I have 5-yr-old and 2-yr-old daughters, so I look down the line, and this kinda stuff depresses/terrifies the snot outta me. Dang

[FrankR]

I saw that, but then the comment, "My kid. My call. You go ahead and do whatever you want for yours." was a little defensive-sounding, so I just wanted to clarify that it was just my opinion, that's all.

[FrankR]

"A cell phone is hardly required for me to hold school officials in complete disdain and utter contempt. And if the kids show that towards public skrewl officials, well, it's hard for me to get upset over that. Two words: teacher's union. "

I worded that badly...what I meant was that the school officials might have some "disdain" for all the ringtone noises in the hall coming from the lockers.

We all have disdain to the teachers' union.

[Dead Corpse]

I was an A/V nerd in High School. Had access to the photo development lab as well.

This is nothing new. Not saying it's right or good, it's just not new. I didn't personally take any photos back then, but I did see some of the negatives that got left in the finisher bath.

[Dead Corpse]

I’d like to think my wife and I are raising our Daughter to be a bit “above” such things. She’s 5, so we have a couple years before she starts getting hit with crap like this.

[Nonstatist]

Thats quite an attractive dish you got there! Very appealing.

[thile44]

You should be ashamed of yourself for posting such suggestive photos.

[Amelia]

I say the schools need to have a strict no cell phone policy.

Our school has such a policy, but it would be impossible to totally enforce it without completely searching each student each day.

Here's a clue...teachers don't buy cell phones for students, parents do.

A student caught with a cell phone in school gets suspended for a day (first offense) and the parents have to come get the phone. You'd be surprised at the number of parents who'll come get the phone before the school day has even ended.

[MahatmaGandu]

Hmm...and no mention that these pictures are criminal, as in child pornography?

There's a complicated legal question. If a 15yo girl takes a picture of herself naked and posts it online is that 'child porn' and should she be prosecuted for disseminating it?

[MahatmaGandu]

That being said, where would one go to view pictures such as this? For informational purposes of course.

You don't. It's all on cell phones and their messaging systems are typically not accessible from the computers us old farts tend to use. Some of it surely gets online, but I would not attempt to look for it unless you want to spend some time in jail.