A recent survey has shown that 18% of teenage boys and 22% of teenage girls have taken part in “sexting”, that is, sending scandalous pictures of themselves via mobile phone. Although it might sound like it’s all in good (if legally murky) fun, the whole thing gets much darker after hearing about a young girl hanging herself after a nude picture of her circulated around her high school thanks to a spiteful ex-boyfriend. There’s a lot to be said after an anecdote like that: on the one hand, gossip, sexuality, and technology usage are all nearly inevitable among teenagers. On the other, is there anything we can do to nip tragic situations like that in the bud? Are stronger parental controls necessary for cell phones, or is better parental education about mobile tech and their kids required?
[via Las Vegas Sun]