The New Porn

It's just texting, right? Not with this twist.

The media has been all a buzz with the new phenomena among teens today. Teenagers, even kids, taking pictures of themselves, naked and sending them to friends, classmates and bffs. Taking private matters public.

The new porn isn't happening among the stars and boulevards of Hollywood. Now, its happening upstairs, in your kids' bedrooms and on their own cell phones and personal computers. Already, dozens of cases have been reported all over the United States with charges ranging from Sexual Offense of Minors to the Distribution of Child Pornography, only it isn't getting slapped onto a 35 year-old man. It's charges against 18, 17 and sometimes 16 year-old children.

So how does the whole 'sexting' thing work, exactly? Well, a teenage girl or boy, at some point- thinks it would be a funny idea to take a picture of themselves naked. They look at it and laugh with their friends, thinking its no big deal, but after a while the entertainment wears off and so they send it to another friend to get a reaction. THAT friend then thinks it'd be funny to go ahead and send it to a few more friends, one of whom thinks it'd be hilarious to send it to their entire class. Pretty soon, everyone has seen the boy or girl, in the nude, exposed with nothing to hide. Suddenly, your haunting memories of classmates laughing at your Christmas sweater doesn't seem so bad.

These same teens have already been charged with a wide variety of sex offenses. Some with a record they will never be able to remove.

I could list articles herein, but just google 'sexting'. You'll find plenty.

So, what are some practical tips to avoid your child falling into this peer-pressure trap?

1. Get to know your kid, surprisingly enough, a lot of this behavior is due to poor relationships between parents and their children.

2. Talk to your kids about SEX. Seriously. If a kid honestly thinks that something like sexting is funny or a light subject, they need to have a wake-up call. The act of sending one photo has never-ending repurcussions.

3. Get on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and on their phones. Not everyday in some obsessive-compulsive way, but monitor their online behavior and phone usage. If there are texts on their phones you have a hard time decyphering, chances are its something they don't want you to know. Talk to them about it. If they have the guts to post anything online, that is up there for everyone to see, including you. Check it out and make sure they are behaving. It is a dangerous road for any young person to travel down.

4. Set ground rules, give them some parameters. If they behave inappropriately, try disciplining them! Take away their phone, their computer, whatever it is. They can live without their technology, you did, right?

5. Get involved in their school and personal lives. If they realize that their parents even MIGHT find out about what they are doing on campus (or off), they will be far less likely to do it. They may even discourage their friends from participating in it, turning the tables on the peer pressure.

6. If your son or daughter is dating, be involved in their boyfriend or girlfriend's lives as well- this is YOUR child we are talking about. You are allowed to be present during their relationships, no matter how much they may dislike it.

I am working with an organization called Freedom Begins Here, dedicated to seeing individuals who seek victory over sexual addictions find it. We are working on a new line of products to help address 'The Talk' between parents and their kids about sex. It is so important. www.freedombeginshere.org

Overall- don't be distant from your children. Their lives are your lives. They are your kids. Be there for them, teach them, guide them. Don't be afraid, they will thank you later.