Generation Sext, Ctd

Amid the continuing debate over teen sexting, Zara Kessler notes that school districts are trying to address the phenomenon:

Sexting teaching materials already exist. There’s “Empowering Students to Engage in Positive Communication: K-12 Curriculum to Combat Student Sexting,” from Miami-Dade County Public Schools. A key message can be quickly distilled from “Secondary Lesson 3″: “Safe Sexting, No Such Thing.” The previous lesson has an accompanying handout, “My Personal Promise to Avoid ‘Sexting,’” with spaces for student and parent signatures. The description of a later lesson notes that it “will help students gain an insight into the perspective of the ‘victim’ of sexting as well as helping those affected stop being victimized.”

Texas has the “Before You Text… Program,” an online course that the Texas School Safety Center states “can be mandated by a judge or used as an educational tool.” Not surprisingly, the program isn’t so fond of the sexting life, asserting, “Even if you only sent one sexting message, others may now have a bad opinion of you,” and “Your family members are eventually very likely to see any images you send electronically.” Just in case the low opinion of peers and family is no deterrent, the program points out that “Embarrassment, humiliation, fear, and betrayal may come back to haunt you.”