Police warn of consequences of sexting

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - Sexting is a phenomenon police said is becoming all too common among teens.

The IPS School Board voted Tuesday night to officially ban sexting in school. Until now, there wasn't a rule against it or repercussions for when it happens.

Wednesday night, the Hamilton County Sheriff hosted a forum to educate people about sexting because he said it's also a growing problem there too.

Detective Mike Widner with the Noblesville Police Department said he believes sexting is a big problem and he doesn’t think it's going to go away.

According to authorities, teens send and receive semi or fully nude photos of themselves, or other teens, using their cell phones or the Internet every day. But police said what many young people don't realize is those images are considered child porn.

Parent Carol Carter said, "I think it's more of a problem than people think because the kids don't understand the ramifications of what can happen."

Police said many times sexting will start by a boy asking his girlfriend to send him nudes, adding he won't show anyone else. But then the young couple breaks up and police said that's often when the personal picture becomes public.

Police said in addition to being illegal, the humiliation and ridicule that can come with having the picture disseminated to an entire school can lead to emotional problems and even suicide.

"Once that image of video is taken and sent out, it's probably going to be out there forever," said Det. Widner.

Police said parents should monitor their kids' text messages, emails and social networking pages on a regular basis to make sure there isn't any sexting going on.

Moms and Dads agree they need all the help they can get to make sure their teen isn't the next sexting victim.

"It's probably more of a problem than I'm aware of. I'm probably naive to it," admitted parent Rachel Clevenger.

Police said they're also seeing sexting become more prevalent among pre-teens as well. At IPS, administrators plan to send home a letter to parents about the new sexting policy within the next two weeks.