Cell phone + Sex + Texting = Sexting.

Parent Alert!

Sexting, the sending of sexually explicit text messages, photographs, or videos via cell phones. This technology, with built-in high resolution camera and Internet access, now allows your kids to, both, send and receive porn over their cell phones, with the outgoing porn being of themselves.

The latest survey finds that one in five teen girls ages 13-19 years (22%)—and 11% of teen girls ages 13-16 years old—say they have sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude images of themselves.

Are your teens doing it?

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To all moms and dads with teens or pre-teens, I want to give you a heads up about what your kids really mean when they, angrily, tell you that they want their privacy, or that such and such is none of your business.

Keep in mind, if they were all that concerned with privacy they would not have their entire life plastered all over their My Space or Facebook pages for all their friends, and all the world to see.

Privacy is just a diversion, a code word, to draw your attention away from the real issue.

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When you read the next two sentences I want you to think William Shakespeare's Hamlet (To be, or not to be...).

"To filter, or not to filter: that is the question." "To monitor, or not to monitor: that is the question." Wrong!

The real questions are “which,” “what kind of,” and “how many” different levels of filtering/monitoring should there be?

Remember, I said technology is not the complete answer? The reason: no filter or monitor is 100% effective. You must combine the high-tech filtering and monitoring systems with low-tech Internet usage ground rules. Create a checklist of these rules, or use this Internet Safety Tips handout, and have it posted next to the home computer. For a detailed explanation of these and many other Internet usage ground rules you need to get the Kid Safe Cyberspace booklet. The checklist should include but not be limited to:

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