You ask, how low can we go here in America? Cindy Kranz at the Cincinnati Enquirer gives us an answer.In the Cincinnati area, where legend holds that trends come 10 years late, "sexting" arrived well ahead of time. Teens here are taking nude photos of themselves or others, sending them on their cell phones or posting them online.
Some teens do it as a joke. For others, it's the new bold pickup line to get a date...
"If I were to go through the cell phones in this building right now of 1,500 students, I would venture to say that half to two-thirds have indecent photos, either of themselves or somebody else in school," said Jim Brown, school resource officer at Glen Este High School.
Turpin High School Principal Peggy Johnson thinks that the results would be similar - about 50-50 - in her building.
According to the national study, most teens who send sexually suggestive content send to boyfriends or girlfriends, while others say they send such material to those they want to date or hook up with or to someone they only know online...
The study also showed that 44 percent of teens say it's common for sexually explicit images and text messages - sexting - to be shared with people other than the intended recipient...
"And when a guy gets a picture like that, he's not just going to keep it between him and the girl. He's going to take that and show every guy that he knows that knows that girl. And every time somebody looks at her, it's going to be a loss of respect for her."
The stakes of taking and sending sexually explicit photos can be high, compared to the thrill at the time. The consequences can range from humiliation to losing out on jobs to going to court.
When kids are 14 or 15, Brown said, they don't often make the right decisions. "They think, 'I have the right to decide what's best for me.' The next thing you know, it's on YouTube, and you become an international star because you're exposing part of your body. ... Then, they want to retrieve their good reputation, and they can't."
Kids have lost scholarships and jobs because of what's posted on Web sites, Brown said...
With so many implications, why do kids do it?
Besides peer pressure, the practice is provoked by what's considered acceptable in this culture, Breyer said, citing videos, such as "Girls Gone Wild."
"What is acceptable behavior in our country has just gone through the floor," Breyer said...
