Sexting, Blogging, and Jail! Oh My!

Teachers and students need to be aware of the challenges and legal ramifications of using information technology in the classroom.

This morning I was introduced to the world of “sexting,” on a morning talk show, and wondered why it never occurred to me that children might be using their phones to send sexually explicit text messages and images. Apparently I am not the only one as, according to Lori Getz at momlogic.com, many parents are also unaware of this phenomenon. I was also shocked to learn that 44% of teenagers have participated in sexting, and they can be charged with a felony for doing so. Having sexual images of other children in their phones constitutes possession of child pornography, but few teenagers know this, or that sexting can lead to their being registered as a sex offender.


I also couldn’t help thinking about how sexting could affect teachers who are using their personal cell phones to communicate with their classes. The consequences for just being on the receiving end of a student’s sexting could have devastating legal and professional consequences for a teacher, and serves as a reminder that technology can pose as many dangers as benefits when we aren’t fully aware of how it is being used.


As I am a newcomer to the world of integrating technology into the classroom, I am daunted by how much I don’t know about the technology my students are already using everyday. However, it is for this very reason that I feel it is so important to make technology a regular part of instruction. As so many parents also struggle to keep up with children that are increasingly more techno-savvy than they are, I feel that there is more pressure to make the classroom the place where children learn to use information technology safely and responsibly.


In order to keep students safe while using the technology, teachers themselves must be aware of what the dangers are. Almost anyone exposed to major media knows about web use by sexual predators, and the dangers of putting drunken pictures on Facebook or MySpace. But while most people are now able to publish a blog, I imagine few of them are aware of the laws concerning what constitutes libel or fair use. If teachers are going to incorporate blogging or web-based research into their instruction, they need to know what is legal, what is not, and need to share this information with their students.