Naked Photos Shared Via Cell Phones Land Teens In Hot Water
A spur-of-the-moment decision mixed with a lapse in judgment, plus a dose of modern technology, is landing a lot of teens in hot water. No, this is not the heartwarming tale of some 15-year-old kid engaging in the time-honored tradition of trying to get an adult to buy beer from the local convenience store. This is about the much less honorable practice of snapping some nude photos, sharing them via cell phone with a boyfriend or girlfriend, and then (lo and behold) finding those pictures shared with just about everyone across the Web.
But just as buying alcohol underage is illegal, so is sending photos of a naked teen across cell phones and Web pages, which has led to some teens facing charges of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child, and defamation. Big words that carry serious implications for actions taken basically on a lark, you might say.
Psychologists say the decision to snap racy shots with a cell phone and then share them is the result of simple, and typical, poor judgment among teens. Today, these poor judgement calls can lead to a very public exposure because of the photo-sharing capabilities of cell phones and social networking sites like MySpace. Cases are cropping up all across the country, from Colorado to Alabama. Sometimes, the photos are shared by an upset ex-boyfriend, and other times, it just seems the kids want to expose themselves. As one of them puts it: "If you look at people's MySpace, all the pictures are slutty." (Editor's note: All our MySpace photos are perfectly demure.)
And lest you think this is just about young girls allowing themselves to be exploited, it seems boys are also known to take some candid shots of themselves.
The solution to this revealing problem? Awareness by both teens and the parents. Of course, the parents could take away their kids' cell phones – but then we may be reading about revolution instead. [Source: CNN]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
john said 3:19PM on 6-09-2008
So are we going to arrest and charge teens for child porography that take naked pics of themselves and post them? That sounds a little extreme, I mean if a 16 yr old is mature enough to operate a machine that can kill many people (vehicle) I think they are mature enough to decide what they want to do with their bodies.
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Kent said 9:10PM on 6-09-2008
Maybe we should follow that logic and make driving a privilege at 21 like so many other contries do. Maturity does aid in all decision making.
Parissa said 9:23PM on 6-09-2008
Obviously, you won the 'parent of the year' award, right, 'cause ALL responsible parents give their 16 & 17 year old daughters and sons permission to 'do with their bodies as they wish!' Are you INSANE!? As my mother used to say ... and she was one of those parents WHO DID CARE WHAT MY BROTHERS AND I WERE DOING WITH OUR 16 & 17 YEAR OLD BODIES: You are so ignorant that to call you stupid is a compliment! Well, and I'll add my own thought here: JOHN, YOU ARE AN IDIOT!
Me said 10:16PM on 6-09-2008
With knowledge that that You must be all of maybe 13 or 14 years old?
jfl said 1:22AM on 6-10-2008
ignorance. its about brain development. its the same reason we don't allow them to drink. frontal lobes, the decision center of brain, not developed. so no, we don't need 16 yr old immature hos getting naked for the world just because their motor skills are developed enough. fools.
john said 11:19PM on 6-09-2008
hey kent are you dumb taking away the driving privelege til 21 is the stupidest thing ever i'm 16 now and had the hardest time getting my license after being moved from one state to another halfway thru my 6 month permit period. if i had to wait til i was 21 i'd probably lose my freakin mind. u know how hard it is to get to work without a car where i live damn near impossible
slayer2n0 said 10:47PM on 6-09-2008
well to be honest..most teens are stupid..i am 15...and alot of my peers are just complelte idiots...but i know a handful of teens that are alot smarter and make better decisions then adults they know...like adults drink and smoke and smoke pot and drive wildly and buy guns, and abuse wives and children....teens aren't the only ones that are messing up..but we are the easiest targets for when one of us does somehting wrong..this should be the parents fault for not bing respionsible, and going through their phone, or hey great idea, buy them a phone that only makes calls!, everyone is so quick to point the finger as the easiest target available at the time when in fact they are pointing the finger with a dirty hand
Tammy said 11:08PM on 6-09-2008
I think there is a BIG difference between good moral judgement and the judgement calls that require plain old common sense; driving a car becomes second nature to most but good moral judgement, like not taking advantage of others, must be instilled in us by our parents, teachers, and preachers. For most of us morality comes with age...usually!
Mike Thorneburg said 1:13AM on 6-10-2008
No, we probably shouldn't arrest the teenagers themselves, they can't help that they're just stupid. IT'S THE DUMBASS MORONS THEY HAVE FOR PARENTS THAT SHOULD BE INCARCERATED! Why does anybody with three active brain cells marvel at anything ridiculous that teenagers do? Look at their influences...there are outrageous sexual images EVERYWHERE ON EVERYTHING they touch. God awful hip hop crap, videos full of half naked, sexually explosive lyrics and dancing, clothing ads featuring mostly underaged kids (or looking underaged) slouching around with seductive looks on their faces, sexually charged "reality TV", etc., etc., on and on. "Pimp My Ride", pimp this and pimp that, Britney Spears and Christina the slut. Oh yeah, and freakin' MTV, which has NOTHING to do with "music" anymore. Teenagers literally can't get away from racy ads and images no matter what they do. Why should anyone be surprised when this type of thing happens? JAIL THEIR PARENTS, they all need to learn how to be responsible ADULTS before they start having children.
Caherine said 1:33AM on 6-10-2008
Dear Kent,
21 isn't the driving age for most countries, 18 is because 18 is considered an adult. If you are an adult and don't have the privilege to drive, than you are an adult in words but not in actions.
CARLENE said 7:40AM on 6-10-2008
SHOULD MY 18YR OLD, JUMP OUT OF MY WINDOW, BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE WITH HER NIGHTIME PLANS? MY HUSBAND AND I DISAGREE. I BELIEVE SHE SHOULD COME IN THE HOUSE, WITH HER KEY!
lcleejr said 4:04PM on 6-09-2008
THE MORE YOU COME DOWN ON TEENAGERS, THE MORE THEY WILL PUSH BACK. UNLESS, WE SHOW THEM BY OUR OWN EXAMPLES. AS LONG AS OUR GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO CONDONE CORRUPTION AT ITS HIGHEST LEVELS, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM OUR CHILDREN..
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Wayne said 8:10PM on 6-09-2008
Think about what Bill Clinton and Monica accomplished just a few
short years ago and you can easily understand why we are headed
in this direction.
Thautrane said 9:39PM on 6-09-2008
Considering the piece of the human brain dealing with judgment (prefrontal cortex) isn't fully developed around the mid-twenties (http://www.nebraskatransportation.org/safetysummit/2007-presentations/Karen%20Williams%20-%20Teen%20Brain%20at%20the%20Wheel%20-%20Brain%20Development%20and%20Driving%20.pdf), I don't buy your argument that sixteen-year-olds know what they are doing.
Furthermore, your analogy that if teens are "mature enough to operate a machine that can kill many people (vehicle) I think they are mature enough to decide what they want to do with their bodies" is also fallacious. The former has no bearing on the latter.
Me said 1:59PM on 6-10-2008
AMEN>
Me said 10:15PM on 6-09-2008
AMEN>
andy said 4:50PM on 6-09-2008
We as a society are just getting back to the tribe, you know the days of Adam and Eve without the leaves. Seems pretty natural.
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Matt said 1:40AM on 6-12-2008
Teenagers and society as a whole will only change for the better when women of all ages stand up and say enough filth and loose morals now STOP IT...I believe women only have the power to tell us men that all this crappy language and dress is no longer acceptable and everyone and everything on earth is to be respected and treated with dignity..Come on girls lets raise the bar and set a higher standard that men must accept and and take your rightful place in society as the ones that make all things worthehile and beautiful...YOU deserve it and no longer need to put up with the verbal and pyysical actions of men who only do it for what they can get. YOU are the prize sought after..Make it worthwhile...I challenge you to show you can do it. Get your respect and worth back.
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Sophia Rox said 8:10PM on 6-09-2008
C'mon, Matt! Things will only change when BOTH women AND men responsibility for their actions. It's sure easy to point the finger at women and expect them to do all the work when you're a man.
namehere said 8:10PM on 6-09-2008
coming from an androgyne (neither a "man" or "woman" or both) therefore, a neutral source, i don't think it's a woman's job to enlighten men or train men to do or think anything, i think everyone will eventually figure it out and we, as a society will become less and less concerned with both gender and sex and will all be seen as human beings, that will be the day, huh? but you do have a respectful tone in your message, so thanks for that, most people on here just have no class!