Jun 1, 2009 7:50 pm US/Eastern
Teens In New Bedford Warned About Sexting Dangers
NEW BEDFORD (WBZ) ―
Kids are supposed to use it for emergencies but now police say more and more students are using their cell phones to send explicit photos of themselves. They call it "Sexting."
Junior Sean Nicolas says many female students are doing it to impress their boyfriends. "It's actually getting quite common now. I know a couple of incidences where my friends were sending nude pictures of themselves and sending to their other friends. Then those people send it to other people across the entire school."
At a training session held at The New Bedford Regional Vocational High School, a non-profit group called "I Safe," shared with students and law enforcement the dangers of sexting. "The law is its child pornography if you send a picture. You can be charged as well as the person getting the picture," Attleboro Patrolman Thomas Wellman said.
"Some of these kids who are caught doing this are going to be asked to register as sex offenders at such a very early age, so this is very important initiative," Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said.
Students say I Safe's message is clear. "Keep your personal information personal. Don't give out stuff that you don't want people to know about you. Just keep it to yourself," student Marlee DeSousa said.
I Safe also says parents need to step in and regulate what their children are doing. "The biggest thing is they have to keep the computers out of the bedroom and keep the phones out of the bedroom at night as well," Wellman said.
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