Big increase in youth sexting by Guam youth
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186px; line-height: 13.7999992370605px;">The FBI says 20% of teenagers sent naked or seminude images of themselves or posted them online.</span>
October 3, 2014Updated: October 3, 2014
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Sabrina Salas Matanane
Guam - According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation website juvenile sexting is increasing in frequency. And here on island, the Guam Police Department is also seeing a rise in this deviant behavior.
According to the FBI a recent study found that 20 percent of teenagers sent naked or seminude images of themselves or posted them online. Another survey according to the FBI website indicated that nearly one in six teens between the ages of 12 and 17 who own cell phones have received naked or nearly nude pictures via text message from someone they know.
Here at home, the Guam Police Department's Juvenile Investigation Section is seeing an increase in sexting complaints. "Sexting case is basically a text message sex message it involves with sexual intercourse or masturbation or anything sexual that involves a minor which is transferred from mobile to mobile or telecommunication, communications ore anything," explained JIS Detective M.J. Raval. He's on the front lines of this growing problem involving teens and tweens or middle and high school.
"Right now sexting is a very big problem in the schools because its going mobile to mobile through the minors and what happens they take the video and send it to other mobile phones so it circulates through the school and it gets to the administrators and the administrators report the problem," she added.
And its not just from cell phone to cell phone through apps likes Whatsapp Snapchat, or Kik, but also teens and tweens are being too social on social media they're being twisted on Twitter, flashy on Facebook and indecent on Instagram.
Detective Raval says the problem is so bad, over the last several months they've had over 20 cases, two of which were closed last month. "We have a case that's ongoing right now its involving 10 to 11 cell phones and it involves a male and female minor and video had circulated through the whole school with 10 phones we confiscated those cell phones its an ongoing investigation right now," he said. "It's minors doing lewd acts on videos to one another...like a porn video."
Detective Raval who is a mother of five says parents should monitor their children and know what they're doing with their cell phones and on their computers. Likewise the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends young people
-think about the consequences of taking, sending and forwarding sexual pictures of themselves or someone else under age.
-never take images of yourself that you wouldn't want everyone, your classmates, teachers, family or your employers to see
-before hitting send remember that you cannot control where the 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 under age, you are as responsible for the image as the original sender and can face child pornography charges, go to jail and have to register as a sex offender.
-and finally 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.
Guam - According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation website juvenile sexting is increasing in frequency. And here on island, the Guam Police Department is also seeing a rise in this deviant behavior.
According to the FBI a recent study found that 20 percent of teenagers sent naked or seminude images of themselves or posted them online. Another survey according to the FBI website indicated that nearly one in six teens between the ages of 12 and 17 who own cell phones have received naked or nearly nude pictures via text message from someone they know.
Here at home, the Guam Police Department's Juvenile Investigation Section is seeing an increase in sexting complaints. "Sexting case is basically a text message sex message it involves with sexual intercourse or masturbation or anything sexual that involves a minor which is transferred from mobile to mobile or telecommunication, communications ore anything," explained JIS Detective M.J. Raval. He's on the front lines of this growing problem involving teens and tweens or middle and high school.
"Right now sexting is a very big problem in the schools because its going mobile to mobile through the minors and what happens they take the video and send it to other mobile phones so it circulates through the school and it gets to the administrators and the administrators report the problem," she added.
And its not just from cell phone to cell phone through apps likes Whatsapp Snapchat, or Kik, but also teens and tweens are being too social on social media they're being twisted on Twitter, flashy on Facebook and indecent on Instagram.
Detective Raval says the problem is so bad, over the last several months they've had over 20 cases, two of which were closed last month. "We have a case that's ongoing right now its involving 10 to 11 cell phones and it involves a male and female minor and video had circulated through the whole school with 10 phones we confiscated those cell phones its an ongoing investigation right now," he said. "It's minors doing lewd acts on videos to one another...like a porn video."
Detective Raval who is a mother of five says parents should monitor their children and know what they're doing with their cell phones and on their computers. Likewise the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends young people
-think about the consequences of taking, sending and forwarding sexual pictures of themselves or someone else under age.
-never take images of yourself that you wouldn't want everyone, your classmates, teachers, family or your employers to see
-before hitting send remember that you cannot control where the 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 under age, you are as responsible for the image as the original sender and can face child pornography charges, go to jail and have to register as a sex offender.
-and finally 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.