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Eighth-graders learn legal and social consequences of ‘sexting’
BOARDMAN
For students, taking and sending nude photographs can trigger a lifetime of legal penalties.
“It can be up to distributing child pornography and being registered as a sex offender in the state of Ohio,” said Detective Sgt. Michael Sweeney.
Eighth-grade students at Glenwood Junior High School learned about legal and social consequences of “sexting” at a presentation Monday.
For the first time, the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s office teamed up with local law enforcement and the Mahoning Valley Sexual Assault Response Team to conduct a discussion on cyber safety and online responsibility.
Eighth-graders took part in the program Monday; seventh-grade students will have the chance to do so today.
Ahmed Khalayleh, an eighth-grade student, was surprised by the amount of cases involving students, but attributes it to the availability of technology.
“There’s a camera on every phone,” he said.
One of the program’s primary discussion topics was consent.
“They have be able to say yes, not just not say no. ... A lot of girls don’t know the difference between what’s consent and what’s not,” said eighth-grade math teacher Holly Gozur.
Jill Miller, a victim advocate at the Child Advocacy Center, said, “Sometimes kids don’t even know what they’re consenting to or what their lack of consent actually means, and just giving them that information helps them make better decisions.”
Boardman is trying to prevent issues of sexual misconduct on and offline by starting the conversation early.
“We’re trying to take a proactive approach. We’re in talks to bring in a program for fourth- through sixth-graders,” said principal Bart Smith.
Parents can help too, said student resource officer Phil Merlo. “I ask the parents to educate themselves. ... Be familiar with the social media apps your children are using,” he said.