Beyonce – Lady Gaga’s “Video Phone” Ignores the Dangers of Teen Sexting

New Orleans, La – The Beautiful Beyonce and the alluring Lady Gaga mega hit Video Phone has reached a breathtaking peak of 19 million views on YouTube. The collaboration of these two superstars was guaranteed to produce a hit, but was anyone prepared for the fall out? 

In Beyonce’s version of the Video Phone sequel there was a heavy emphasis on someone being able to see her, while talking to her. Judging from the choreography which creates a sort of sinister erotic undertone, viewers get the impression that they will see something really tantalizing on the video phone, and that’s where the problem comes in. 

According to The National Campaign to Prevent Pregnancy, Sexting has become a major issue for school officials and law enforcement across the country. With the increased popularity of Smart Phones we have now reached the age of the Jetsons in which teens can view the person they’re talking to in real time. Something that was thought of as futuristic fantasy has now arrived with unprecedented side effects. 

What works perfectly in the hands of adults can quickly turn illegal in the hands of underage teens. Sexting or sending nude pictures via a cell phone over the internet still equates to participating in child porn, even if the sender and receiver are both 17 years old. This is where the law has clashed with parents and school officials who would like to deal with the issue of Sexting without adding under age Teens to the list of Sex Offenders. 

The Facts On Sexting 

Nearly 20% of teens admit to sending racy or naked pictures of themselves in text messages. According to a February 2010 PEW report, 73% of wired American teens now use social networking websites, a significant increase from previous surveys. 

Another recent PEW report found that daily text messaging among American teens has shot up in the past year from 38% in February of 2008, to 54% in September 2009. 

And it’s not just frequency – teens are sending an enormous quantity of text messages per

day. Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, and one in three send more than one hundred texts a day. 

Now take 20% of the teen who have admitted to sending racy pictures of themselves, and factor it with the 73% of teens who now carry cell phones, and the end result is tons of naked pictures floating through cyber space. 

Many of these same teens are totally unaware of the consequences of Sexting which can be life altering. Sexting has lead to child pornography charges against teen is 10 States, and an increase in the number of pending criminal charges continue to escalate. 

Blame It On The Smart Phones 

Smart phones are part of the reason so many cases of Sexting are now making their way to the local court house. Cell phone technology has evolved with warp speed since 2001. Today you can view the home page of Google as it actually looks on your laptop. The real threat to the innocence and privacy of our teens has come in the form of SMS Messages and Skype integration. 

Whereas SMS video allowed the teen to only send a 15 second video, cell phones that offer Skype will allow real time imagery. Skype promotes the fact that their customers can enjoy voice and video calls to anyone else on Skype, conference calls with three or more people, and instant messaging with screen sharing. 

The major challenge with this form of technology in the prevention of Sexting is now a teen can send longer video clips, and allow multiple teens to join in on the same video call. Skype has yet to allow a user to block the ability to take unauthorized photos, which means one of the teens within this group will have no way of knowing that their image is being recorded by multiple users. 

Educating teens on the dangers of sending nude pictures via the internet or cell phones has become so urgent that it was recently addressed by Congressmen George Miller and the Committee on Education & Labor. 

There are three ways Sexting comes to light. 

The teenage relationship comes to an end, and the pictures are publicly posted out of revenge.

 

One teen shares the photos with a close friend.

 

 

The pictures are posted on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter. 

Songs like Beyonce / Lady Gaga’s Video Phone run the risk of sensationalizing Sexting in the form of video to video messaging. The music video for Video Phone even features men dancing with video camera like headgear as they promenade around Beyonce. 

Ron Collins COO of Remove It Now.com says that all it takes is the wrong photo posted on Facebook to get indexed by Google, and all parties involved could find themselves in a bad predicament. 

“Sexting is pornography, and becomes child porn if the images capture underage teens. The issue of teens sending inappropriate photos is still a matter that has to be policed by the parents of the teens in the photos. My fear is that life will begin to imitate art in a way that could glamorize sexting and lead to the destruction of the online reputations of teens all across this country” 

Ron Collins went on to say that every parent should take this opportunity to connect with their teens on the issue of Sexting, and the potential future damage of engaging in the act. 

Remove It Now.com is a website that provides consumers with information on how to remove insidious online content from the first page of Google and other search engines. Remove It Now.com is one of the leading advocates for Student Cyber Safety, and Cyber Bullying Prevention. 

If you or your teen has damaging online content and you would like it removed from the first page of search results then please visit their website at http://www.removeitnow.com 


PORN TALK with SHANE DAWSON


Sexting – Keeping Children Safe

Section III

(xii) Sexting

“Sexting”, the term that refers to preteens and teens sharing nude photos of themselves via cell phones, emails or on the Web, is illegal and could land the perpetrator in serious trouble with the law. This could include jail time and could carry the stigma of being a child molester well into adulthood. The practice can also have serious mental effects on young people so preteens, teens and adults must think seriously and consider the possible consequences before they push the send button on whatever device they are using. Taking, sending and receiving nude and/or semi nude pictures of a child is against the law. Whether the intension is innocent or not and even if the perpetrator is a minor the law is not grey; it is black. and white so far as current statutes are concerned. Sexting is considered to be child pornography and is one of the most dangerous communication medium on the web today. The admonition to preteens and teens seem to be going on deaf ears, perhaps because of peer pressure or the need to be popular. Parents are particularly challenged in this specific arena since one misstep on the part of their precious child could put him/her in jail with the added stigma of being branded a child molester even though the perpetrator may be a child. Certain terms such as doing jail time and child molester may seem repetitious. This is intentional and is meant to impress on the reader the seriousness of actions pertaining to Sexting.

Look at the following cases and consider if you would like to be caught up in this dilemma:

Three teenage girls in a town in Pennsylvania who sent nude photos of themselves via cell phones to three male classmates have all been charged with participating in child pornography. The girls were charged with manufacturing and disseminating child pornography and the boys were charged with possessing it. In Wisconsin, a 17 year old boy was charged with child pornography after posting nude pictures of his 16 year old girlfriend on the internet.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy recently published a study suggesting one in five teens had sent or posted images of themselves in various stages of undress. Another disturbing factor is that 15% of those involved in Sexting have sent nude photos of themselves to people they only met on the Internet. The craze is not relegated to the United States alone. According to Reuters in London, “A growing number of British teenagers are swapping sexually explicit images of themselves on mobile phones leaving them open to bullying and victimization by their peers…”

This phenomenon is so wide spread that teens may be caught up in its web unintentionally. The long range effects on perpetrators and victims, beside the current laws and possible consequences are far reaching and cannot possible be analyzed and evaluated by the immature minds of our preteens and teens. I recently warned my grandson that he must separate himself immediately from anyone involved in Sexting no matter how enticing looking at pictures of a naked girl or boy may be.

Consider the following case and think critically before you push the send button on whatever devise you are using.

A teen age girl sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend with whom she was very much “in love”. A few months later they broke up. The boyfriend was angry over the break up and to get back at his former girlfriend, sent the nude pictures all over the Internet. He is currently facing a considerable time in prison for distributing child pornography in addition to being branded a child molester until age 43. We can only imagine the embarrassment and long term effects this will have on the hapless teenage girl whose nude pictures can be archived and disseminated “ad infinitum” (indefinitely).

Sexting is always a bad idea and must be discarded as soon as it comes to mind or as soon as someone makes the suggestion.

This article is not intended as a source of legal advice but only as suggestions, tips and ideas on keeping our children safe in this world in which we live:

Sexting is Illegal: Do not take or send nude or sexually suggestive photos of yourself or anyone else. If you do, you could be charged with producing or distributing child pornography. If you keep them on your phone or computer you could be charged with possession. If they go to someone in another state, it’s a federal felony.

Non-legal consequences: Consider the emotional damage that can come from having intimate photos of yourself go to a friend who can become an ex-friend and send it to everyone you know.

Any Medium: Sexting can be done on any media-sharing device or technology – including email and the Web. Teens have been convicted for child porn distribution for emailing sexually explicit photos to each other.

Reasons for Sexting: In some cases, children are responding to pressure in a form of cyber bullying or pressure from a boyfriend or girlfriend (they break up, and sometimes those photos get sent around out of revenge). Sometimes it’s impulsive behavior, flirting, or even blackmail. It’s always a bad idea.

Parents: Talk with your children about Sexting in a relaxed setting. Ask them what they know about it. Express how you feel in a conversational, non-confrontational way. A two-way dialog can go a long way toward helping your children understand how to minimize legal, social and reputation risks.

Tips for Parents:

If your children have sent any nude pictures of themselves, make sure they stop immediately. Explain that they’re at risk of being charged with producing and distributing child pornography. If they have received nude photos, ask if they have sent them to anyone else Try to contain the damage and tell them to delete the images from their phones and/or computers. Also tell them to transmit the message to the friends to whom they have sent the images. Continue to engage them in conversation. Stay calm and be supportive. Learn as much as you can and try to determine the origins of the behavior such as if it were impulsive behavior, teen flirting or some form of harassment. Consider talking with other teens and parents involved, based on what you’ve learned. Some experts advise that you report the photo to your local police, but consider that, while intending to protect your child, you could incriminate another – and possibly your own child. It is usually good to talk to children and their parents first. If malice or criminal intent is involved, you may want to consult a lawyer, the police, or other experts on the law in your jurisdiction, but be aware of the possibility that child-pornography charges could be filed against anyone involved.

Teens:

If a Sexting photo arrives on your phone, first, do not send it to anyone else (that could be considered distribution of child pornography). Second: Talk to a parent or trusted adult. Tell them the full story so they know how to support you. And do not become alarmed if that adult decides to talk with the parents of others involved – that could be the best way to keep all of you from getting into serious trouble. If the picture is from a friend or someone you know, then someone needs to talk to that friend so he or she knows Sexting is against the law. You’re actually doing the friend a big favor because of the serious trouble that can happen if the police get involved. If the photos keep coming, you and a parent might have to speak with your friend’s parents, school authorities or the police.

These tips and suggestions are not exhaustive and parents should use common sense in dealing with these issues. Seek legal advice if you think your child is culpable and could be charged with being involved in child pornography.