Advice for Young People

Think about the consequences of taking, sending, or forwarding a sexual picture of yourself or someone else underage. You could get kicked off of sports teams, face humiliation, lose educational opportunities, and even get in trouble with the law.

Never take images of yourself that you wouldn’t want everyone—your classmates, your teachers, your family, or your employers—to see.

Before hitting send, remember that you cannot control where this image may travel. What you send to a boyfriend or girlfriend easily could end up with their friends, and their friends, and their friends.

If you forward a sexual picture of someone underage, you are as responsible for this image as the original sender. You could face child pornography charges, go to jail, and have to register as a sex offender.

Report any nude pictures you receive on your cell phone to an adult you trust. Do not delete the message. Instead, get your parents or guardians, teachers, and school counselors involved immediately.

Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Tips to Prevent Sexting; http://ncmec.vo.llnwd.net/o15/downloads/special/Sexting_Prevention.pdf (accessed July 6, 2009).

Excerpt From the