Cell phones have become an essential part of life to many teenagers, just like their older counterparts. However, Sheriff Lee Foster warns, it is important for both teens and their parents to understand that improperly used cell phones can cause serious issues.
Foster said that a concerned parent contacted his office and requested a training presentation about some of the dangers involved with cell phones for kids. After the first presentation at Little Mountain Elementary School, Foster says, the Sheriff’s Office received several calls to repeat the program at area churches and schools.
“The program begins as simply as selecting a cell phone, and moves into more serious issues such as texting while driving, threats made via cell phone, and a relatively new phenomenon known as ‘sexting,’” said Foster.
The informative session is presented by Major Todd Johnson of the Sheriff’s Office, and is designed to be attended by both the parent and teen.
Johnson instructs parents to accompany their child when purchasing a cell phone, and learn how to use it.
Parents should also ask about parental controls options for the phone such as those that enable them to check text messages, block numbers or have tracking options.
An emerging trend among young cell phone users is “sexting”—the practice of taking and/or sending partially nude or nude photos using a cell phone’s messaging capabilities.
Johnson says that research shows children as young as 8 are sexting, but it is mainly being done between 13-year-olds and up.
Johnson says youth need to remember that when they hit “send,” they are no longer in control of the photo.
In one case a Cincinnati, Ohio 18-year-old sent a nude cell phone photo to her boyfriend. It was in turn sent to hundreds of other teenagers, who taunted her. The teen later hung herself in her bedroom.
The U.S. Supreme Court has also ruled that sending nude photos of youth by “sexting” is child porn. This means even if a child sent a photo of themselves, they can be charged.
If convicted they can be placed on the sexual register for life no matter their age.
The Sheriff’s Office tells people if they or their child get a sexting message to report it to law enforcement as soon as possible.
Johnson says another issue is teens being threatened by peers through text messages and advises parents if this happens to have the number blocked.
Also, texting while driving can be deadly; recent studies show even more so than drinking and driving. Johnson recommends that you not respond to a text message from unfamiliar senders.
The next free seminar will be held on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Little Mountain.
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