A Town Has Announced They’re Mounting A Criminal Investigation Into Teen Sexting

Teenagers nowadays are significantly different than teens two decades ago. Now that they have access to the internet and cell phones virtually everywhere they go, they’re constantly in contact with one another. While this could be good for parents who are trying to locate their children when they’re not around, it can also get them into a lot of trouble. Sexting seems to be the newest way of flirting between teenagers and instead of exchanging notes in class, they’re exchanging explicit photographs. Sexting has become such a huge problem in one Minnesota town that the entire police force is doing an investigation in the hopes of trying to stop it.

Crisis. The town of Shakopee, Minnesota is currently undergoing a sexting crisis that has taken over one local high school to the point that local police officers had to get involved. It involves a hockey team, nude photographs, and the threat of the law.

Photos. According to CBS News, the hockey team at Shakopee High School have gotten themselves into some deep water recently after they were caught sending around explicit photographs of fellow female classmates. It was brought to the attention of the principal by a concerned student, and now, it’s gotten the attention of local law enforcement.

Dangers. Police are now investigating the hockey team while simultaneously warning the parents of teens about the dangers of sexting. According to defense attorney Joe Tamburino, these teens really have no idea how much trouble they could get into if they’re caught with nude photographs in their possession.

Jail. “It’s child p*rnography. A juvenile cannot consent to partake in some kind of sexual or p*rnographic material. If you have a 17-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl, and they decide to share images with each other that are of a sexual nature, they could be charged. They will have to register as a sex offender, and that is what is really sad about this, because you don’t want that to happen,” said Tamburino, as reported by CBS News.

Laws. Minnesota also has a strict “revenge p*rn law” now that has now made it a crime to release nude photos of a past lover to someone else without their permission. This goes for both teens and adults, and those who are caught will likely have to face a judge.

Permission. “So, if you have a picture of someone that you are intimately involved with and you share it with others without their permission, you could be in trouble,” said Tamburino, as reported by CBS News.

Warning. Experts warn that people should be aware that despite having deleted photos on your phone that may not be suitable for all ages, they could still be floating around somewhere in your iCloud that you could even possibly be sharing with other people. You could have no idea, but others could have access to your personal files as well.

Snapchats. Parents should be increasingly aware that with apps like Snapchat that allow for photos to disappear in ten seconds, kids are becoming more comfortable with sharing nude photos of themselves. However, people can still screen shot the photos and keep them despite the ten second rule.

Social media. Teens should also be aware that what they post on social media, despite their privacy settings, is still accessible to others. The internet is a dark place, and many times people have no idea but how dangerous it can be until it’s too late.

Normal. The sad part is, it’s become quite normal for teens to sext. “Most of the kids in my town high school have accepted as just part of getting a guy to like you,” a New Jersey teen told NorthJersey.com.

Consequences. Unsurprisingly, kids are feeling pressured more and more to send these photographs without really thinking about the consequences they could face. And now that the law is involved, things could get even worse for them.

Culture. It also doesn’t help that society encourages these actions amongst teems and glamorizes sexting in television and movies. "A lot of social media culture is using women's bodies, girls' bodies, to get attention," says expert Nancy Jo Sales, as reported by NorthJersey.com.

Research. Sales has done research on sexting and says she’s heard countless horror stories of girls who had their photos shared with dozens of people who weren’t meant to see them. And they’re starting at a young age too with girls as young as 13 sending nudes.

Waking up. “We do have to wake up and realize these kinds of things are happening every day in classrooms and in homes nationwide,” says expert Scott Steinberg, as reported by NorthJersey.com.

You. What do you think about this overwhelming problems our teens are facing today? Let us know your thoughts!