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I threw those in because I've run across a couple of people who believe this is uncommon. There was a whole PrimeTime or 20/20 done on teenage girls (as young as 12) taking pics on cells and web cams and posting them, but goldarnit I can't find it - these were the ones I could find.

I want to clarify something I posted earlier (I made a comment about the polaroid years before cell phone cameras). I was not saying that it DOESN'T happen, I was saying that we need to stop viewing this kind of thing as normal, expected behavior. Hyper-sexual kids...it's like more and more people are just like "well, it happens" rather than try to get to the root cause of girls doing things that are so personally demeaning to themselves. THAT, in my opinion, is TRULY burying heads in the sand. There is FAR too much "well, all the kids do it so it must be expected and okay" and along with that, ignoring cries for true emotional attention. Not to mention the effect of girls who do things like that BECAUSE they know it's expected. I never did those things, but I must say, always hearing what adults' believed I MUST be doing ironically battered my self esteem (I'm not overly sexual as a teen, I must not be normal), and I could see where a girl would break down and go against her own values just to do what is considered normal. And it's sad because we even do it to other adults. I've taken jabs on this board because I once posted something about fidelity and sexual and emotional responsibility. Some adults are terrified of even the most miniscule personal sacrifice (not cheating on a spouse just because someone hot walks by, or like in today's letters, missing a short trip to take care of a newborn) that it's clearly starting to spill over into younger generations.

I think you're right about the fact that this is only symptomatic behavior. As a rule, teenagers tend to act out in risky behavior because teenagers, as a rule, think in the immediate, not in the long-term. They're invincible.

It really takes a village... and the village has dropped the ball.

Even in the news stories I found, they didn't deal with the problem, it was the principal and the police letting the public know that if they found these pics on kids' cell phones they'd be "prosecuted as minors in possession of pornography to the fullest extent of the law." Yeah right, most of these adults don't have close to the technical savvy of teenagers and they're going to outsmart them? And they've already sent the pics to the entire school and their friends' school?

Okay, now, how about actually dealing with the problem. When I worked in the school system, the kids were "not allowed to use their cell phones in schools." So the kids wore hoodies and had their cell phones in their pockets and they're texting all day long, they'd peek to the side to see the text and put it back in their pockets and continue texting because they can text without seeing the keypad. I kept thinking, okay, now let's be realistic. They're doing it anyway so making a lame rule is not the solution. I don't know what the solution would be, but I know that making a rule you have no intention or means of enforcing isn't the answer.

And the worst offenders were the parents! They'd call and text the kids all day long. So we didn't even have their support in this.

Don't know the answer, but I do believe we'll continue to hear about this, especially because technology isn't going backwards.

arewethereyet?:

...Okay, now, how about actually dealing with the problem. When I worked in the school system, the kids were "not allowed to use their cell phones in schools." So the kids wore hoodies and had their cell phones in their pockets and they're texting all day long, they'd peek to the side to see the text and put it back in their pockets and continue texting because they can text without seeing the keypad. I kept thinking, okay, now let's be realistic. They're doing it anyway so making a lame rule is not the solution. I don't know what the solution would be...

What about a cell signal blocker in your classroom. They exist, right?

That oughta do the trick.

I don't actually work for the school system anymore, but certainly school officials should've considered that.

Most likely the parents would be the first ones to protest, or they decided it could be detrimental because of possible emergency situations.

It would be a good idea though.

arewethereyet?:

I don't actually work for the school system anymore, but certainly school officials should've considered that.

Most likely the parents would be the first ones to protest, or they decided it could be detrimental because of possible emergency situations.

It would be a good idea though.

Yeah, I got that you are no longer in the school system and I was expecting someone to raise that point.

It wasn't all that long ago that emergency calls went through the main office.

Simple.

arewethereyet?:

...but I do believe we'll continue to hear about this, especially because technology isn't going backwards.

In case it's not clear, I completely agree with you.

If I were a school principal, I'd enforce certain draconian measures within the state school laws.

Namely, no cell phone usage within class hours. And enforce it using the technology available to me (the cell signal blocker in classrooms might acutally work).

If I got flack from parents, I'd reiterate our school policy.

This whole notion that everyone has to contactable 24/7 had gotten out of hand. Just because we have the technology, doesn't mean we have to use it all the time. What could possibly be so fucking urgent it can't wait until after school gets out or can't be relayed through the main office.

Case in point -- abuse of said technology, to the point of serious legal ramifications. Irrespective of his culpability, that boy's entire life could be ruined by those racy and illegal photos.

Such a complicated issue, I wouldn't even know where to start to tackle it.

It totally makes sense, but I don't buy for a second that parents would put up that. Yeah, it's school policy, but there would be some parent willing to take that to the supreme court if possible. The argument in favor of absolutely no cell phones at school (or no reception) would be that kids are texting too much, or texting inappropriate things to each other, and it's distracting from the learning process. But parents (like the rest of the nation) are more concerned with safety than anything else, especially if it's an abstract problem like that.

Calls used to go through the office, but if there is an emergency it's obviously ideal to be able to bypass that now that the capability exists. I work in a school and am not a parent, but I most definitely see the potential benefits of having a cell phone over the detriment of not even being able to have one, ever.

...but it's not going to happen. The second you proposed this (remembering that the board has to approve), parents would start screaming about Columbine or Virginia Tech, and it wouldn't go through.

Note, that in neither case did the use of cell phones assist in preventing or limiting the damage and deaths caused in these cases. However, the perception that it did, and the voyeuristic nature of the American public (Watch schoolchildren die live from the cell phone of a classmate! Film at eleven!) would be enough to guarantee that teachers will be sentenced to put up with little weenies and their phones for eternity.

I agree with you in theory Trainspotter... it is ludicrous that we have to be contactable 24/7. Real life is a different animal completely. Parents can be a crazy lot... and most school policy is dictated by parents, directly or indirectly. There are few school officials that would, or even could, stand up to the likes of a protective, emotional parent. It doesn't matter if the information they received from Junior was skewed. Some parents are just puppets to their children. There are, of course, rational, effective parents, the problem is, the irrational ones are the loudest.

I have to agree with you Messy, from both sides of the coin. Having been a parent of teens and also having worked in the school system. I never believed it was necessary to have cell phones at school and I didn't allow my kids to take them to school. But I was by far the minority, that would be unheard of now.

I am in Colorado, so the Columbine tragedy is still very close to the people here. Not to mention that we've had 2 subsequent incidents since then, one in Bailey last year which I'm sure everyone heard about...

Bottom line, the perception that a cell phone coulda, woulda, shoulda made a difference and might in the future is enough fuel to keep any bans of cell phones or signals a moot point.

Parents rule. Even if they're not rational.