Friday, May 8, 2015

Families,

As the school year comes to a close, and summer approaches, we are suggesting that you have a difficult but critical and proactive conversation with your student about their increasing use of social media and cell phones — and a commonly misunderstood activity: sexting.

Please remind them: In Nebraska, teenagers who send or receive sexually explicit photographs by cell phone or computer are at risk of felony child pornography charges — and that includes photos of body parts commonly covered by swimsuits. This behavior is commonly referred to as “sexting,” the act of sending sexually explicit messages via text, messaging, social media apps or email.

Please remind your students that there are serious consequences of taking, sending or forwarding a sexual picture of someone underage, even if it’s of themselves. They could get kicked off of sports teams, face humiliation, blackmail, lose educational opportunities and get in trouble with the law. We need students to understand that, even if they were not there to capture the photo or video, it is against the law to be in possession of such photographs — or to share such photographs with other students. In fact, possession and distribution of child pornography carry serious penalties that will affect the future of our students.

There are also real risks that sexually explicit pictures, meant to be shared with a friend or partner, will make their way into wider publication as those pictures continue to be passed on. One application for iPhones, iPads and Android devices — Snapchat — is commonly used by teens and allows subscribers to send photos that quickly expire (increasing the temptation of teens to send embarrassing photos). However, they need to know that although the photos disappear — that doesn’t stop the person on the receiving end from quickly grabbing a screenshot and circulating the photo beyond its intended audience.

When speaking to your students, consider sharing these messages:

• Never take images of yourself that you wouldn’t want everyone – classmates, teachers, family, employers — to see.
• Before hitting send, remember that you can’t control where this image may travel. What you send to a boyfriend or girlfriend could easily end up with their friends, and their friends, and their friends…
• If you forward a sexual picture of someone underage, you are as responsible for this image as the original sender. You could face child pornography charges, go to jail and have to register as a sex offender.
• Report any nude pictures you receive on your cell phone to an adult you trust. Do not delete the message. Instead, get your parents or guardians, teacher, school counselors, psychologists and social workers involved immediately.

In Nebraska:

• Possession of child pornography is a Class IV felony, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine up to $10,000, or both — if the defendant is under the age of 19 at the time of the crime.
• Distributing child pornography is a Class III felony, punishable by one to 20 years in prison or fine up to $25,000, or both.
• Sharing obscene material with a minor is a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine up to $1,000, or both.