Sexting

by Pat Antonopoulos
Retirement time slides along with fewer and fewer pegs on which to hang specific happenings. The exact number of years ago slips my mind but sometime prior to retirement (10 years ago), a friend and I did a presentation on the effects of the media message. We had boxes of research, charts of statistics and an unstoppable passion. We spoke to any group that would invite us.

In the presentation, we resorted to a an occasional cliches like 'slippery slope' because the slide was happening and we feared that the bottom of the slope was a place where our children would be grievously harmed. An article in the latest issue of Newsweek is titled: Teens, Nude Photos and the Law. The author writes about children as young as 13 using cell phones to send personal nude photos.

Are we there yet? Have we given the advantages of technology to our children without weighing the degree to which we should also give the advantages and protections of safeguards? Are we approaching the bottom of what we will tolerate for our children? Can we feel outrage that the innocence is compromised to the degree that a child will see nothing harmful in sharing her/his body in a public forum?

In my opinion, this is an issue squarely placed in the hands of families. We cannot look to the technology people to make the protection decisions. Nor can we hand one more safety issue to any government agency. Open the window blinds. Invite friends and neighbors. Communicate and solve. In the meantime, gather our children into the safety of the family and walk with them through to a place where they are truly protected.