Q&A
Parry Aftab's Q & A
Q
I got a text message with a pic of a fellow classmate - but she isn’t wearing any clothing! I want to do the right thing. What can I do?
A
It’s not easy to know what to do when this happens. But you should do a two things right away:
1. Hit the delete key! You don’t want that image on your cell phone or computer. Possession of certain sexual images of minors can result in you being charged with possession of child pornography.
2. Don’t pass it on! Sending it to anyone other than the police can result in your being charged with distribution of child pornography and also being seen as a cyberbully for spreading the pics. And tell the person who sent it to you to delete it too, and not send it any further.
Few teens understand how serious this can become. Recently a 14 year old from New Jersey was charged with the production of child pornography for taking nude pics of herself and posting them on MySpace! Fourty-four percent of teen boys WiredSafety polled said that they had seen at least one nude pic of a female classmate! And boys send them too. Don’t put yourself at risk.
Online Safety Expert - Parry Aftab
Parry Aftab, an Internet Privacy and Security Lawyer, works closely with our Online
Safety Teen Editors and tells us what’s behind – and how we can overcome – the challenges
of the internet. She’ll provide step-by-step guidance to help you navigate your way to
internet safety.