Explicit photos and cell phones: Illegal or just risky?
accountable | disseminate | constant | inappropriate | legal
Do the Math
According to a 2018 study of over 110,000 teens from around the world, 1 in 7 teens are sending sexts, and 1 in 4 are receiving sexts. In several high-profile cases around the country, prosecutors have worked to hold students legally accountable for forwarding inappropriate photos. A 14-year-old in Washington suffered constant harassment when her explicit photo went viral. She had sent the photo to her boyfriend, and when they broke up, he sent it to one female friend. This friend forwarded it to her entire contacts list, along with a message calling the student in the picture a terrible name. After police got involved, three students were charged with disseminating child pornography.
Option 1:
In the study, 12.5 percent of teens reported forwarding intimate photos without the consent of the sender. Which of the following is true?
A. about 1 in 8 students has forwarded an intimate photo
B. about 1 in 12 students has forwarded an intimate photo
C. about 1 in 25 students has forwarded an intimate photo
D. about 1 in 5 students has forwarded an intimate photo
Option 2:
There are approximately 42 million teens in the United States. Using the statistics reported in the study (1 in 7 teens are sending sexts, and 1 in 4 are receiving sexts), approximately how many teens in the U.S. have likely sent or received a sext? Approximately how many students in your school have likely sent or received a sext? Complete the table below.
Discussion Question:
Many students have constant access to cell phones and the internet, and some inappropriate use is inevitable. But when a photo is disseminated that humiliates a student, what is the appropriate response? Should there be legal consequences? In the case of the 14-year-old in Washington, prosecutors decided that three students were most responsible for spreading the picture, and held them legally accountable. But when hundreds of students have seen a photo, and many of them have forwarded it, is it fair to single out only a few? Some parents complained that the original sender should be held accountable, because she sent the photo to her boyfriend in the first place. What do you think?