How to Protect Children from Teen Sexting

What is Sexting?

Sexting is defined as the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones. Among teenagers these days Sexting is the “In thing to do”. If your child is caught sexting they can be charged and prosecuted for child pornography. One bad decision can turn your teen into a convicted sexual predator. Do not let this happen to your child. Parental Control Software for Cell Phones can stop sexting.

Alarming Teenage Sexting Statistics:

• 20% of teenagers overall;
• 22% of teen girls;
• 18% of teen boys;
• 11% of young teen girls 13-16;

Sexting among teens is a new fad and it is on the rise like a national epidemic. It is strange to consider since they too are minors, but anyone regardless of age can be charged with this offense, the only important factor is the age of the person in the photo. The stats are staggering if you see below the number of kids involved in this are alarming. Let’s say you have five teenage kids, according to the stats above at least ONE of them will have participated in the act of sexting.

With SurveilStar Parental Control Software, you can make this do not happen to your child. Parental Control Software can stop sexting. Keep your child away from the Sexting Scene.

Parents Be Aware and Beware of "Sexting"

Parents need to realize that sexting is serious business! The laws in the US against child pornography are extremely strict. If caught sending pornographic images of underage people, it is not uncommon for teenagers to be tried as adults and end up being convicted of extremely serious crimes like distribution and/or possession of child pornography, which will follow them around for the rest of their lives.

So get involved to make sure your son or daughter doesn’t end up thinking that sexting is harmless, because it totally is not. Start using a parental control software today and clear up any doubts as to whether or not any computers in your house have child pornography on it.

Junior High Warns Teens about Sexting Pitfalls

On December 21, 2010, with the winter break approaching, Ridgeview Junior High School students learned on what could happen if they fool around online or while sexting. The students learned that they could be charged with a felony for electronically sending naked pictures of themselves or other minors.

Kathleen Nichols, a spokeswoman with the Ohio attorney general's office, led the discussion. She shared the story of Jesse Logan, a Cincinnati-area 18-year-old who committed suicide in 2008 after a friend spread nude pictures of her.

Julie Lady, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission, warned students of the risk of becoming victims of identify theft by clicking on "too good to be true" downloads, such as those offering a free laptop for being the 1 millionth customer.

"It's never too soon to start talking about" these topics, said Lady, who is based in the Cleveland regional office.

Tips & Warnings to Prevent Sexting

1. It's illegal: Don't take or send nude or sexually suggestive photos of yourself or anyone else. If you do, even if they're of you or you pass along someone else's - 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 (and that happens really easily), it's a federal felony.

2. Not just on phones. 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.

3. Many causes. In some cases, kids are responding to peer pressure in a form of sexting 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.

4. Parents: Talk with your kids about sexting in a relaxed setting. Ask them what they know about it (they may not have heard the term, so "naked photo-sharing" works too). Express how you feel in a conversational, non-confrontational way. A two-way dialog can go a long way toward helping your kids understand how to minimize legal, social and reputation risks.

5. Parental Control Software is necessary. With SurveilStar Parental Control Software, you can block any website whose domain includes the word "sex" by blocking "*sex*", * stands for any letters or strings. You can even block any websites including .com, .net or other domains and then create another policy to allow the specified websites. An excellent Parental Control Software can keep your children safe from the penalties of sexting.

Away from Sexting Tips for Kids

* 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 don't freak out 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.

Protect Your Children from Sexting

The above tips were written in April 2009, after several reported cases of teens being prosecuted for taking, distributing and possessing pictures of themselves or friends. While we are aware that such activity is inappropriate and risky, we do not feel that - in most cases - law enforcement should treat sexting as a criminal act. Except in the rare cases involving malice or criminal intent, law enforcement should play an educational role, along with parents, community leaders, school officials and other caring adults.

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. That's why it's usually good to talk to the kids 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.

So if you are really concerned about your children's online safety you can install computer monitoring software like SurveilStar this is a parental control software solution and it can monitor your child’s computer for Illegal Sexting Activity . With this parental control software, parents can easily know what their children have done on PC when they are supposed to do work or home assignment.

Kids Need Parental Control Software to Help Them

According to a survey, some 65% of parents said their kids surfed the internet frequently. We can easily infer that internet has now taken over a significant portion of many children’s daily life. About 20% said their kids surfed the internet occasionally because they cannot get parents’ consent in relation to academic pressures. In addition, 15% said their kids did not surf the internet because they are too young to use the computer. From the survey, on whether they take measures to protect their children from illicit content, many parents do say they take some concrete measures to protect children.

SurveilStar - Advanced Parental Control Software

SurveilStar Parental Control Software is a reliable solution to safeguard your children's' Internet experience and maximize the efficiency of the time they spend on the computer. This software basically works by restricting and permitting access to certain websites, as well as to monitor Internet browsing habits and activities.

SurveilStar Parental Control Software helps parents to monitor and control the child's use of the Internet and computer. With our parental control software, you can filter-out websites, blogs, e-mails and instant messages if they contain inappropriate words or pictures. So with SurveilStar Parental Control Software, you can make sure that your teenager do not get caught up in the Sexting Scene. Keep them safe from the penalties of Sexting!