”Sexting” is the practice of taking a sexually revealing picture of yourself, typically from a cell phone, and sending it to someone. Legal consequences aside, it’s a dumb thing to do, especially for younger age groups in which it has become something of a fad.

Even if you are comfortable with the person receiving the image, you never know for sure where else it might land. Digital images are easy to copy and forward and, even if you trust your friend’s discretion, it can be accidentally forwarded or seen by others with access to your friend’s phone or computer. It’s not uncommon for such images to find their way to other people’s cell phones and even Web pages, where they can be seen by anyone, copied, searched for and redistributed, perhaps forever.

For minors, there’s another risk — serious legal consequences. Creating, transmitting and even possessing a nude, semi-nude or sexually explicit image of a minor can be considered child pornography. It can be prosecuted as a state or federal felony and can even lead to having to register as a sex offender.

Boy, am I glad the Internet and camera phones weren’t around when I was a kid. None of this was an issue back then and in today’s world it is as common as ever to find this always on the table and making a consistent issue of protecting your children and teens online - always. Technology is made to ensure the betterment of our lives yet it seems that it can also play an important role in diminishing ones life especially when you are unaware of the consequences of some of your actions. It can be sad to hear the way these things have happened to many children all over the world.

I believe that it is up to the parents to ensure that kids are safe - I mean what is a 14 year old doing with a multi-media mobile phone anyway? I understand that we need to keep in contact with our children when they are away but that only needs text messaging and calls, right?

My belief is that we should only allow our children access to these things at a suitable age and when we know that they are mature enough to handle it. However, not everyone believes the same thing therefore I think that it is imperative that the parents who do allow their children access to mobile phones and the internet should have major safety precautions in place.