Sexting. You may not have heard about it, but your kids probably have. According to one survey, one in five teenagers have sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves either online or by cell phone. News 3's Sophia Choi and the Crime Tracker 3 Team are kicking off a special report on sexting by taking a hard look at the consequences.
Most sexting cases get attention when a picture, intended to stay private, becomes very public. The person in the picture may feel embarrassed and get a bad reputation. But the person who sent it could face something much more severe: a label as a sex offender and time in jail.
"One of my friends sent a picture to her boyfriend and in class he blew it up and showed everybody."
"Everybody is texting and they're like, ‘Oh yeah, this person sent me this picture.'"
"They want a guy to think that, ‘Oh yeah, I'm sexy so let me send you this picture.'"
Sexting, or sending sexually explicit pictures and messages, is a growing craze among teens. In fact, Metro says they see several cases per week.
"The sexting thing has become a real epidemic with children having access to cell phones with cameras built into them," confirms Sgt. Troy Barrett, Metro ICAC.
It's an epidemic that's spreading, unchecked, from phone to phone. Catherine Blanco is a typical parent.
Sophia Choi: How do you know if you don't check her cell phone?
Blanco: Because I trust her.
But sexting happens, even among good girls and boys. Take squeaky-clean Disney star Miley Cyrus: Her phone was hacked last year and suggestive photos meant only for a boyfriend were spread around the world. They can still be found online.
Fear of that kind of embarrassment is behind most of the complaints that reach Metro's Sgt. Troy Barrett, usually after a young couple has broken up.
"One party is going to be concerned about that image that was risqué that they had given to the other party," explains Sgt. Barrett. "What are they doing with it? Are they sharing it with other kids around the school? Does everyone around the school now have a naked picture of me? So we're notified from the children themselves and also from the parents."
But some kids don't even know to whom they're sending these explicit photos.
Two Reno teenagers thought they were sending nude photos of themselves to a 15-year-old boy. He turned out to be 45 years old. Police say Terrance Hofus threatened to put the photos online if the girls didn't meet him for sex. The girls went to the police and, in January, Hofus went to federal lockup for 10 years.
The most serious sexting cases involve actual child porn, where private areas are exposed. And there are usually three crimes happening:
- Taking a child porn photo is production of child pornography
- Sending it is distribution of child pornography
- Everyone who keeps the photo on his or her phone could be charged with possession of child pornography
This one action can result in multiple felonies in less than a minute.
"I didn't think it would be a crime," says Jacqueline Martinez. "I though that was just their personal business."
"I really thought that was their business to do that," continues Brittany Blanco. "I didn't know you could go to jail for something like that."
But you can go to jail, something teen sexters across the country are now finding out.
Phillip Alpert is an 18-year-old from Florida who e-mailed nude photos of his ex-girlfriend to 70 people. He received five years probation, was kicked out of college, and will be labeled a sex offender until he's 43 years old.
"(Sexting) ruined a big part of my life and it's going to be ruining my life for a very long time," says Phillip. "I don't think I deserve to be on that list. I don't deserve to be next to someone who rapes and murders and who hurts children."
And 16 and 17-year-old boys in Pennsylvania were charged with felony possession of child porn after receiving nude "sexts" from 14 and 15-year-old classmates. Some legal experts say these cases and others show the flaws in laws written before sexting was even an issue.
"If you're showing the opposite sex your body and he's the same age, I don't understand that," argues Amanda Dagsher. "I mean, he's the same age. It's not like he's 36-years-old."
That's why, even in Clark County, prosecutors and police are using discretion - even when teens don't.
"We don't have any problem getting involved, but we don't want to spend too many resources on a case where I have a 14-year-old sharing a picture with a 14-year-old and all they're doing is just sharing it with each other," says Sgt. Barrett. "That's really not a case where we need to get involved doing criminal felony prosecutions."
Instead, our authorities send a message to parents to encourage their involvement. Now, knowing what's at stake, parent Catherine Blanco says she'll trust but verify.
"I'll definitely check her phone."
One girl interviewed had admitted on camera that she sent nude pictures to her now ex-boyfriend, but News 3 chose not to expose her identity. In addition, News 3 asked parents for their permission before speaking with the local teens in this story.
But what's going on in our local schools? They say they are actively involved in the sexting epidemic; if a sext happens even off campus and disrupts the learning environment, the students involved could be suspended and even expelled.
But just as important, and even more likely, are the psychological consequences sexting could have on your child. News 3's Kendall Tenney and the Kids First Team spoke with parents who have heard of sexting yet aren't sure what they can do about it.
Parents have good reason to be concerned. Sexting is quickly becoming more prevalent among teenagers who think it's no big deal. But a recent survey of young people indicates 20 percent of teens have electronically sent a nude or semi-nude picture of themselves. Child therapists say most are under the false assumption that the pictures are private.
"I mean, you don't have to have parent's permission to send a picture," says Amanda Dagsher. "It's only a picture."
"Texting has anonymity around it," explains Donna Wilburn, Child and Family Therapist. "No one's looking except for the phone."
But someone is looking because one picture that's easily sent to one person is just as easily forwarded to dozens more. And the consequences can be devastating.
"It's just like a big death sentence in school like, just don't do that," says Brittany Blanco. "And then all the guys will be showing, ‘Hey, I got this picture of this girl.' And then they'll say in class, ‘Yeah, I saw that picture you sent him."
"It will tear them down slowly because the girl will be called numerous names, written on the bathroom wall. It will tear the girl down immensely," says Amanda Dagsher.
And that's exactly what happened to Jessie Logan, an Ohio teenager who put up with months of harassment after her ex-boyfriend forwarded a nude picture she sent him as a present while they were still dating.
"She was being attacked and tortured, actually. Things were being thrown at her," says Jessie's mother.
Jesse Logan eventually killed herself.
"Teens don't have the brain development to interpret logical consequences that far in advance," says Wilburn. "So they do not realize the long-term consequences of showing yourself like that on your phone or having that sent out to somebody."
Many parents News 3 spoke with say that's why they let their kids know they're watching them.
Kendall Tenney: So have you talked to your kids about this?
Maricella Hernandez: Oh yeah.
Catherine Blanco: I always check her cell phone, my daughter's phone. I check it all the time.
Kendall Tenney: You check it all the time?
Blanco: Yes.
Kendall Tenney: And what are you looking for when you check their phones?
Blanco: Everything - those porno pictures, text messages about sex. Everything.
And Donna Wilburn says that's the answer: Let your kids know you'll be checking their phones whenever you feel like it. Just don't expect your teens to love the idea.
"I understand that teens don't like it. I absolutely understand that," says Wilburn. "It's for their safety that you're supervising."
The teen years are the time when parents and kids are in a fierce struggle over freedom and protection. According to Wilburn, teens may say they want total freedom, but they actually feel more secure knowing that you are setting limits for them.
And now, there are other ways to keep tabs on your kids' cell phones besides the "hand-it-over-and-let-me-look" method. Two very popular items are "Radar" and "Mobile Spy." Both are programs that you can install on your kids' phones. They send copies of all the text messages sent or received to parents. You can also set a list of approved phone numbers so only people you approve of can text your child.
