Students often forget how easy it is for how something that seems so small can blow up into a catastrophe. With cell phones glued to the fingertips of teenagers nowadays, it is easier than ever to make a poor decision that could affect adolescents in their later life. Each time a teenager picks up their phone, they have a decision to make. Each time a teenager posts something on social media, they should think about what they’re doing.
Today, social media, Snapchat, text messages, etc. make it easy for adolescents to be put in uncomfortable situations. It is important that each time someone goes to send a text message, they think about the consequences that could accompany it. Snapchat makes it even easier to send inappropriate photos because students may feel comforted by the disappearance of photos within seconds.
In reality, though, anything that goes out in Cyberspace is something that can come back to haunt a teenager later. Teenagers often forget that though they may have good intentions, others may not. Also, relationships in high school can go sour, and someone who is a friend or a boyfriend or girlfriend one day, may become an enemy the next. Anything that gets sent is something that can come back.
If students find themselves in sticky situations, they need to be educated and prepared on the necessary steps to take. Without the proper steps, a situation such as this can take a turn for the worst. The law can get involved, and teenagers could wind up as felons or registered sex offenders. What seems to be an innocent photo or message at the time may actually be a punishable federal crime. Punishments such as these can ruin an adolescent’s life and strip them of their opportunities for getting a job, attending college or altogether living a normal life. To avoid this, students should never send or forward inappropriate or indecent photos, and they should think of the consequences before they send any text message, email, etc.
If students are educated about the severity of these issues, the hope is that they will avoid situations such as these, or at least know how to handle them responsibly. It is important that schools take time to teach their students these things and to remind them just how serious sexting and cyberbullying can be.