Kids Safety
Sexting has been in the news a lot lately. People’s privacy has been invaded or a celebrity announces that their phone was hacked and someone sent out nude photos that were on their phone, and were supposed to be for personal use only. With that in mind, we wanted to answer some common questions that we’ve heard and offer some advice in how to handle a potentially awkward or uneasy situation.
My boyfriend / girlfriend asks me to send them nude pictures. Should I do that?
Absolutely not. You shouldn’t even take these types of pictures or store them on your device. If you are asked to make such a picture, blatantly refuse to do so, turn it into a joke, or pretend that you are suddenly disconnected; really anything is better than succumbing to peer pressure. If your partner threatens to end the relationship unless send along nude photo(s), you should seriously consider whether you need to be with such a partner at all if they are ready to break up with you just because you put your security and reputation first.
Why can’t I send my nude pictures to my boyfriend/girlfriend? We trust each other.
Sometimes, relationships end abruptly and can be contentious. There have been stories where scorned lovers publish intimate photos that their “ex” had sent to them. This is something that you do not want to happen to you. There is also the possibility that your photos can be leaked online via a security breach. Recently, the Internet had a field day discussing Jennifer Lawrence’s nude pictures she used to store on her iPhone. It is also possible that you or your partner can lose the device containing all of your private pics and data. So, even if your relationship is pure and trustful, that does not make nude pictures exchange a safe thing.
My private photos were published online. What should I do?
- If this situation weighs heavily on you, don’t be shy to ask your family, friends, and parents for support.
- Do everything to get rid of a compromising shot on the Internet. Ask the website’s administration to delete your photo. You can also file a DMCA request to help with this.
- This will take some work, but try to make everyone forget this incident. To do this, be active online, write a blog, create positive content. Just remember: if you are famous only for having your private picture published, everyone will remember you only for this for years to come. With more interesting and positive things about you, people would be less inclined to discuss something you try to forget.
- Stop taking naked photos. This will help assure that it won’t happen again, also delete all photos you have already had on your device.
A guy from a model agency asked me to send my nude pictures. Should I do that?
No way, this is a widely used scam. There is no agency, and this guy (if he is really a guy) has only one aim: to make you send compromising photos. These photos can either be used to blackmail you or be published to the web to make the culprit money. There were cases when culprits threatened to show the pictures to parents, teachers, and classmates unless a victim sends more nude photos or videos, or makes even dirtier things.
If someone on the Internet asked you to do that, immediately tell your parents about it. This will help you stay out of trouble and even protect other kids who are more trusting.
My body looks great, why can’t I share it with everyone? I don’t mind.
There are several reasons why someone should not do this. First, do you really want those photos be seen by your parents, grandparents, neighbors and/or a bunch of folks you don’t know? Are you 100% positive such a picture would raise your online status and wouldn’t serve an object for jokes and humiliation?
On top of this, publicly available photos could end up on a porn site or collection of photos shared by creepy Internet trolls. You also cannot tell who would have viewed these photos in the future. Consider for a minute sitting in a job interview or meeting your fiancé’s family for the first time. Only to find out later that they had already seen you naked and have formed some opinion of you that does not reflect who you really are. With that level of unpredictability, are you really sure you want to show off all of your assets freely online?
