Teens 'sexting' from phones may be calling for trouble
Taking a sexually suggestive picture of someone under 18, even if it is of yourself, is a felony for the sender and the receiver. The pictures qualify as child pornography.
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Suggestive text messages led parents to complain about inappropriate photos being sent to Salem Middle School students, according to Michael Evans, a spokesman for the Wake County school system. The incident happened after school hours and parents were alerted to the issue, Evans said.
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What some may not realize is that those private photos have the potential to become very public.
“Even though you may not intend to put the photos on MySpace, they may end up there,” Wake County Assistant District Attorney Melanie Shekita said.
“I don’t want to target all these children and make them registered sex offenders,” Shekita said.
Brunson said the topic of sexting was discussed during one of her recent psychology classes. She said many students were unaware that the photos could be a crime.
"I don't think people understand the extent of how dangerous it can be," Brunson said.
Phillips said several school systems across the state have called her group asking about the growing popularity of sexting and what they can do about it.
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