Check out this article published in the New Haven Register today regarding an important forum that will be hosted by Reps. Themis Klarides and Jason Perillo. This free, two-hour forum is Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Shelton Intermediate School — 675 Constitution Blvd. in Shelton. The event, which will feature law enforcement personnel, among others, begins at 6 p.m. For information, call 800-842-1423.

Sending Racy Photos Can Haunt Teens Later
Monday, September 28, 2009

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief

Police say they are encountering more cases of teenagers “sexting,” or sending explicit photos of themselves to people they like, only to find out that the image meant for one person’s eyes ends up being forwarded to others.

Guilford police recently arrested a New York man, a convicted sex offender, for allegedly sending provocative text messages to a 12-year-old Guilford boy’s cell phone. The man, James Bushaw, 29, allegedly sent messages asking if the boy was naked and if he was home alone, according to police.

Two Valley lawmakers, state Reps. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, and Jason Perillo, R-Shelton, are holding an informational forum for teens and their parents to discuss the dangers of sexting. The term applies to sending electronic, sexually suggestive messages or photographs.

The forum will be held Oct. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Shelton Intermediate School auditorium, 675 Constitution Blvd., Shelton.

Representatives from the state police, Shelton police and the chief state’s attorney’s office will be at the forum to answer questions. Parents are asked to accompany their children to the forum, which is open to residents from any community.

Shelton police Detective Ben Trabka, who plans to participate in the forum, called sexting a “growing problem.”

“Texting makes it easier for predators to get to children without their parents knowing,” Trabka said. “All they need is the kid’s cell phone number, and some kids share their phone numbers on chat rooms.”

Shelton police have encountered a couple of incidents in which students at Shelton High and Intermediate schools sent provocative pictures to their boyfriends, who then forwarded the images, according to Trabka.

“We have had cases with girls sending out pictures of themselves,” Trabka said. “Then, the next thing they know, that person they sent the picture to has forwarded it. The girls do it out of being naive or foolish.”

No one was charged in the Shelton cases, as the pictures were successfully deleted, and the parents of those involved handled the situation, Trabka said.

“If anyone had sent out a mass mailing, then that would have been different,” Trabka said.

Police also would have considered criminal charges if an individual who forwarded the photographs had been an adult; charges could include violations of child pornography laws, breach of peace, risk of injury to a minor, or even harassment, Trabka said.

“We didn’t have any cases where the photos were sent out of spite,” Trabka said. “Mostly, people were being naive or stupid. Initially, they didn’t give it a lot of thought, and weren’t mature enough to understand the ramifications.”

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy conducted a survey of teens ages 13 to 19. When asked if they have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves, 20 percent of teens said they had, according to the survey. It showed that the practice of teens sending sexually suggestive written messages is even higher, with 39 percent of all teens reporting that they have sent such messages, and 48 percent saying they have received them.

“It is an extremely large problem, and a potentially damaging trend,” said state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance. “We have been proactive in going to schools to try to get students to understand the ramifications.”

Those ramifications could be life-altering, such as if a nude photograph ended up on the Internet, police said.

“Someday they’ll be applying for a job and an employer will research you online, and imagine if this comes up,” Vance said. “They don’t think about these things. It may seem funny to them now, but it could be damaging.”

Sexting can also potentially violate existing state law, Vance said.

“These cases can be damaging to one’s reputation, and can become illegal, such as if one person is 18 and the other is underage,” Vance said. “The text pictures and messages just don’t disappear — they go somewhere. We want to open everyone’s eyes to the potentially damaging effects of this.”

Klarides said the issue has become more common, as most teenagers have cell phones.

“This forum is mostly so parents are educated,” Klarides said. “A lot of parents don’t know what is going on. Before the Internet, if someone took a picture, it might get passed around to a few people. Now, if something goes on the Internet, everyone can see it.”

According to Klarides, the General Assembly needs to figure out how to handle the issue, and what constitutes criminal wrongdoing. Lawmakers will be seeking input from teens, parents, police and school administrators, she said.

“If an adult sends a picture of a teenager, then it is child pornography; how will we categorize it if two 16-year-olds are involved?” Klarides said.

Perillo said his focus is to educate teenagers and their parents about implications and potential consequences. While the term sexting also refers to sending sexually explicit messages, Perillo said the forum will be primarily focused on the hazards of sending explicit photographs.

“You can’t un-ring a bell — and sending these photographs can come back to haunt you when it comes time to get into college or get a job,” Perillo said. “We live in a world where communication is electronic and everything is saved for posterity. I know a lot of employers, when they have an applicant, the first thing they do is go on a computer to learn more about them. We are really just trying to help teens.”

According to Perillo, the forum is not being organized in response to any particular incident.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he has asked that telecommunications companies enable parents to protect their children against sexting, such as by placing limits on images that can be sent.

“Clearly, parents are the first and the last line of defense in safeguarding their children, but they need help,” Blumenthal said. “Private companies have a public responsibility to develop and implement technology that parents can use. We have approached the companies in the last few months and intend to intensify those discussions. We have also sought to educate parents about the dangers of sexting.”