Sexting

What is sexting?

The term sexting denotes electronic sending of messages, pictures and videos with sexual content. Such materials are usually created within the partnership and making such materials gets us into danger they will be published and disseminated without our knowledge through the Internet or mobile phones. There are several kinds of risky behaviour according to the only Czech server sexting.cz dealing exclusively with this issue:

1. We put sensitive material, which can be misused against us, at potential attacker’s disposal.
2. These materials may circulate on the Internet for several years or it may be used in several years since its creation.
3. A victim of sexting may be exposed to so-called harassment and sexual assaults.
4. A disseminator may commit an offence or crime (dissemination of child pornography, endangering the morals of youth, etc.).

The most dangerous fact is that teenagers and children may also become potential victims of sexting. Taking of intimate and provocative photographs slowly becomes a part of virtual intimacy of the young people. We know real stories when a girl tried to impress a popular boy by sending her flirtatious photographs but the boy did not have any sympathies for her and disseminated her photos to his classmates. It was a typical case of sexting. You can read more about real stories of sexting in the “Stories of victims” part. In addition to seduction, an important role plays also exhibitionism. Why do young people behave in this way?

Most of modern music videos, in which there are teenage idols, are built primarily on attracting attention. And what are the ways of catching somebody’s eyes? It is mostly by provocative displaying of a female body – the more naked, the better. The boundaries are constantly pushed and there is no wonder that Britney Spears and Mandy Moore (they began the era of flirting schoolgirls) have had their music videos shot by a porn director Gregory Dark who has made forty porn movies. Do you ask why? It is simple. A porn director knows exactly how to excite people and what will attract them. A young provocative girl surely is such an attraction. In a documentary movie called “What Girls Want”, a ten years old girl comments on this phenomenon: “The singer tries to express through her music clips that you should be sexy as soon as possible and then you’ll be perfect.”

A considerable time has passed since Britney Spears’ music videos and today videos are more provocative and inventive. No wonder that girls try to use similar methods under such a media massage. Which teenage girl does not have in her profile a photo with a provocative posture or with pursed lips? Being provocative is simply “in” today and we have to admit this.

We do not want moralise but to draw attention to the real situation that is unknown for many parents and therefore they do not have any need to warn their children against this danger. Once sensitive materials are released on the Internet, it is very difficult to remove them.

Stories of Victims

Several real cases of intimate photos and videos abuse prove that sexting is a hot topic in the Czech Republic.

• Intimate Pictures from Libimseti.cz website
  In 2008, an unknown perpetrator stole over a thousand photographs from the dating portal for young people – Libimseti.cz. Even though the gallery with titillating materials was protected by a password, the clever hacker took advantage of outdated and imperfect protection. Photos are now freely available on the Internet and they even appeared as a twenty-minute video collage.
  

  

  

  
  For further info visit:
  http://www.zive.cz/bleskovky/hacker-stahl-tisice-intimnich-fotek-ze-seznamky-libimseticz/sc-4-a-144169/default.aspx
  http://www.blesk.cz/clanek/pro-muze-sex-a-tabu/102665/proc-se-nase-deti-svlekaji-na-internetu.html
  http://www.blesk.cz/galerie/zpravy-domaci/89522


• A Persuaded Schoolgirl
  A sixteen-year old high school girl from Litvínov was provoked by her classmates and she let herself to shoot on a mobile phone during masturbation. One of the authors abused the video to blackmail her, he required sex from her. The case was solved as an offence.
  

  

  
  For further info visit:
  http://www.blesk.cz/clanek/zpravy-domaci/112517/masturbujici-gabinku-17-tocil-syn-litvinovskeho-starosty.html
  http://zpravy.idnes.cz/starosta-ma-problem-kvuli-videu-s-masturbujici-skolackou-tocil-jeho-syn-1o8-/krimi.asp?c=A090331_141703_krimi_jba


• A Naïve Admirer
  A fifteen-year old girl from Velké Meziříčí sent an intimate photo to her underage classmate to arouse his interest. The boy, however, forwarded this photo to his friends and the case ended when the picture was in hands of teachers – they identified the girl according to her necklace. The incident was solved by the police with the suspicion to dissemination of child pornography and participants ended up with the order of community service.
  

  

  
  For further info visit:
  http://zpravy.idnes.cz/divka-nafotila-porno-samospousti-kamarada-vysetruje-policie-pt6-/krimi.asp?c=A090114_073536_krimi_klu


• The Teacher, M.P.
  A thirty-five years old teacher M. P. from Znojmo was voluntarily shot by a sixteen year-old student during a sexual intercourse with a nineteen year-old boy. The prosecution was stopped but the unpleasant consequences were a nationwide disgrace, mental breakdown, loss of prestige and departure from the school. Nobody was punished for posting a video that should have remained a secret.
  

  

  
  For further info visit:
  http://tn.nova.cz/zpravy/regionalni/exkluzivne-zpoved-ucitelky-z-porna-se-studentem.html
  http://tn.nova.cz/zpravy/krimi/sex-a-porno-ve-skole-ucitelka-se-zhroutila-zakon-na-ni-ale-nemuze.html


• Suicide of Jessie Logan (18)
  Her boyfriend could not bear their breakup and published her intimate photographs on the Internet. The incident started whole bunch of ridicule, insults and humiliation by her classmates. Logan made an appeal at her pursuers on the television but they ignored her request. The tragic result was her suicide in July 3, 2008 (she hung herself in the bathroom). Even though the school revealed 5 students spreading the photos to hundred of other students, they cannot be punished because Jessie was 18 years.
  

  

  
  For further info visit:
  http://aktualne.centrum.cz/zpravy/krimi/clanek.phtml?id=632277
  http://www.rightcelebrity.com/?p=5477
  http://www.mahalo.com/jesse-logan

How to resist?

The simplest advice would be complete avoidance of creating any intimate materials that could be exploited. We therefore focus on raising awareness among school children and by training of teachers and parents that should be able to communicate with students about sexting.

If adult people decide to create such materials, partners should agree on their face is not visible. More important, however, is to set rules where photos and videos will be kept. A good place could reduce probability that someone will find and publish the materials. Note also the adequate protection of computer software from hacker attacks.

Intimate materials are frequently abused by the former partner, who could make copies and he/she deleted the materials only in front of the partner.

Cases when someone publishes intimacy are solved according to the nature of them and age of participants. Sex of people over 15 years of age is legal in the Czech Republic, on the other hand, it is prohibited to make photographic and film material of people under 18 years of age. By law, teenagers must not film and photograph themselves until they are 18 years of age! Otherwise, it would be considered child pornography.

The web portal sexting.cz lists seven offences according to which the sexting offender may be prosecuted for:

• Restriction of personal freedom
• Sexual abuse
• Rape
• Endangering of the morals of youth
• Production and other use of child pornography
• Abuse of a child to produce pornography
• Hazardous pursuit

Useful links and resources

http://www.sexting.cz/
http://www.prvok.upol.cz/
http://www.e-bezpeci.cz/
http://clanky.rvp.cz/clanek/o/z/9673/STRUCNY-UVOD-DO-PROBLEMATIKY-BEZPECNEHO-INTERNETU.html
http://www.bezpecne-online.cz/surfuj-bezpecne/komunikace-se-svetem/sexting