"Sexting"
Note: THIS IS IMPORTANT! Please read!
Everyone probably knows what sexting is... and for those of you that don't, it's basically when someone decides to send a nude picture of him/herself to someone else through a cell phone (or sometimes through the Internet).
We all know that it's pretty common... but did you know that it's illegal? Yep, it is. If you are caught sending or receiving a naked picture of someone under 18, you will be charged with child pornography. It doesn't matter if you under 18, too, or if it wasn't even your decision to receive the photo in the first place! It's illegal! You may even be placed on a list of registered sex offenders! Do not let this be you!
Let's not forget to mention the part where you can't trust anyone! Let's say you send an "inappropriate" picture of yourself to your boyfriend/girlfriend, and even if he/she is the nicest person in the world, the next week you get in a fight... and they decide to send that picture to their best friend! And their best friend decides to send the picture to his neighbor... and his neighbor sends the picture to her cousin... And so on. You are now the talk of the school, or even maybe the neighboring schools. And your significant other may not have even intended for that to happen.
Make smart choices. Not only for your reputation, but because you are better than that.
Visit these pages for more information:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20271181,00.htmlweeblylink_new_window (The Dangers of 'Sexting')
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFKAFo_etkEw.weeblylink_new_window
(A video about the dangers of sexting)
Everyone probably knows what sexting is... and for those of you that don't, it's basically when someone decides to send a nude picture of him/herself to someone else through a cell phone (or sometimes through the Internet).
We all know that it's pretty common... but did you know that it's illegal? Yep, it is. If you are caught sending or receiving a naked picture of someone under 18, you will be charged with child pornography. It doesn't matter if you under 18, too, or if it wasn't even your decision to receive the photo in the first place! It's illegal! You may even be placed on a list of registered sex offenders! Do not let this be you!
Let's not forget to mention the part where you can't trust anyone! Let's say you send an "inappropriate" picture of yourself to your boyfriend/girlfriend, and even if he/she is the nicest person in the world, the next week you get in a fight... and they decide to send that picture to their best friend! And their best friend decides to send the picture to his neighbor... and his neighbor sends the picture to her cousin... And so on. You are now the talk of the school, or even maybe the neighboring schools. And your significant other may not have even intended for that to happen.
Make smart choices. Not only for your reputation, but because you are better than that.
Visit these pages for more information:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20271181,00.htmlweeblylink_new_window (The Dangers of 'Sexting')
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFKAFo_etkEw.weeblylink_new_window
(A video about the dangers of sexting)
Dating & Facebook
Everyone is on Facebook, all the time. It's pretty obvious. People post statuses with what they are doing every single second of the day. People post pictures of who they were hanging out with last night. People can send messages and people will quickly receive them. People can play games together.
These can be good things, but they bring a whole new level of complication to dating!
These can be good things, but they bring a whole new level of complication to dating!
Online Dating
It is pretty common for people to meet significant others online... and why not? It's quick and easy, and sometimes we can't always find someone to date within our own circle of friends. Sometimes it even works out and people end up marrying someone they met online!
That's all great, but there are some important things that you need to know before you meet or date someone you met online.
That's all great, but there are some important things that you need to know before you meet or date someone you met online.
- Never, ever meet someone you met online alone. You should meet them in a public, well-lit place with a responsible friend or family member. You should even let someone else you know (who is not with you) that you're meeting someone at a certain place and time.
- Don't give out any important personal information to someone you just met online-- such as your home address, home phone number, credit card information, etc.
- Do not meet anyone you met online until you are sure they are who they say there are! And even then, you should check with your parent(s)/guardians to make sure they agree that it is a good decision.
- Do not meet anyone who is not close to you in age. If you are under 18, it is probably a good idea to stick to meeting other teens. It may even be illegal in your area to date someone who is much older or younger than you.
