Family and Child Online Safety Blog - SafetyClicks

The risks of the Internet don't stop when the computer is turned off. With more and more devices available that connect to the Internet, there are ever increasing opportunities for kids and teens to be put at risk online. The challenge for parents is that the risk isn't always from a "stranger" on the other side.

A new word on the scene is "sexting", which is a combination of "texting" and "sex". It is similar to "cyber sex" through Instant Messages, where two parties are having a sexually charged conversation, but "sexting" is done via text messages through the cell phone. The conversations can even include sending sexually explicit images taken by the cell phone and sent to the other party.

This news story from Greenville, SC explains that sexting is happening around the country by teens. The story cites: "Half of all 12 year olds have cell phones, and 1 in 5 children admit they are doing things on the internet or on their phone that their parents would not approve of."

A recent news story out of Washington, D.C. warns that sexting is unknowingly leading teens to the illegal trade of child pornography. The bigger problem is that it isn't being produced by "the stranger", it is being produced with cell phones by the teens themselves.

So what can be done? Here are a couple of tips that can help, but please share your own ideas as well.

1) The first step is communicating with teens about the risks of sharing "embarrassing" pictures of themselves with anyone, especially via cell phone or online. Remind them that the only way to keep embarrassing pictures from getting into the wrong hands is to not have them in the first place. Ask them how they would feel if they got into a fight with a friend or boyfriend and those pictures ended up being sent around school, or how they feel if their own parents got them.

2) Do what you can to prevent the pictures from being taken or sent via the cell phone by:

-- Not giving your child a cell phone.
-- If they do have a cell phone, get one without a camera.
-- Use a service with parental controls built in. Some cell phone carriers have better controls than others, check into your own service to see what is offered.

3) Be aware of all the sites your child visits regularly and check profiles for anything that could get them in trouble.

Have you been surprised by something your child did online or via cell phone? How did you handle it and how did it work out? Do you have any other ideas on how to prevent kids and teens from participating in sexting?