Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Although sexting is a relatively recent phenomenon, there are already plenty of
stories in the mainstream media about the serious impact it is having on people's lives.
Here are three recent stories.
Ohio high school student Jesse Logan sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend.
When they broke up, the ex-boyfriend distributed the photos to other girls in her high
school. Jesse endured months of harassment from her high school classmates and began
skipping classes on a daily basis. After attending the funeral of another classmate who
committed suicide, Jesse went home and hanged herself [67].
After Phillip Alpert got into an argument with his 16-year-old girlfriend, he emailed
a nude photo of her to dozens of her friends and family members. “It was a stupid thing
I did because I was upset and tired and it was the middle of the night and I was an
immature kid,” Alpert said upon reflection. The Orlando, Florida, police arrested Alpert,
who had just turned 18, charging him with sending child pornography, a felony. It didn't
matter that Alpert's girlfriend was 16, that they had dated for two and a half years, and
that she was the one who had originally sent the photo to him. Alpert was sentenced to
five years probation and required to register with the state of Florida as a sex offender.
He will remain a registered sex offender until he is 43 years old [68].
Ting-Yi Oei, a 59-year-old assistant principal at Freedom High School in South
Riding, Virgina, was asked to investigate rumors that students were distributing nude
photographs on their cell phones. His investigation led to a 16-year-old boy, who ad-
mitted to having a provocative photo on his cell phone. The photo showed the torso
of a 17-year-old girl wearing panties, with her arms mostly covering her breasts. Oei
showed the image to the principal, who told him to keep a copy on his computer as ev-
idence. Two weeks later the same boy got in trouble again, and Oei suspended him for
two weeks. When Oei met with the boy's mother, he told her about the earlier photo
incident. The boy's mother was upset that Oei hadn't immediately told her about the
photo, and she demanded that Oei revoke her son's suspension. When Oei refused, the
mother went to the police and told them about the photo. Sheriff 's investigators came to
the school and found the photo of the girl on Oei's computer. County prosecutor James
Plowman gave Oei an ultimatum: resign or face felony charges for possession of child
pornography. Plowman's assistant told the press, “We just feel very strongly that this is
not someone who should be in the Loudoun County school system.” Oei refused to re-
sign, and in August 2008, a grand jury indicted him for possession of child pornography.
The school district removed him from his position as vice principal and reassigned him
to a job at a testing center. Oei had to take out a second mortgage on his house to pay
legal expenses. In April 2009, Loudoun Circuit Court Judge Thomas Horne dismissed
the charges, noting that nudity alone is not sufficient to categorize an image of a minor
as child pornography. Though never convicted, Oei ended up deeply in debt and with a
tarnished reputation, unsure if he would ever return to his former position at the high
school [69].
There appears to be a widespread sentiment that child pornography laws should
not be used to prosecute teenagers who are caught sexting. In 2009 legislation was
introduced in a number of state legislatures that would make sexting among teenagers a
misdemeanor [70].
