With children getting ready to go back to school the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) says a troubling teen trend is on the rise. It is called sexting and it means the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones and other mobile devices.
NCPC says parents need to pay attention to the "electronic fingerprints" their kids are making. NCPC has developed new reproducible brochures for both parents and teens that provide informative tips on what to do about it and how to prevent sexting.
Roughly, 20 percent of teens admit to sexting, according to a nationwide survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. NCPC's director of Children and Youth, Joselle Shea, says that "online relationships should be based on respect and not just sharing sexual images of each other."
NCPC believes it is important to teach young people to protect themselves proactively when they are online or using mobile communication devices. NCPC's new reproducible brochures on sexting can be found at the organization's website at www.ncpc.org.
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a private, nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to be the nation's leader in helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime. NCPC manages public service advertising under the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign -- symbolized by McGruff the Crime Dog® and his "Take A Bite Out Of Crime®" slogan -- and acts as secretariat for the Crime Prevention Coalition of America, more than 400 national, federal, state, and local organizations representing thousands of constituents who are committed to preventing crime. NCPC is funded through a variety of government agencies, corporate and private foundations, and donations from private individuals. For more information on crime prevention issues, visit www.ncpc.org.
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