Houston is catching on to something that Hollywood hasn’t yet: Taking nude pictures on your cell phone is bad news.
The city is implementing a new rule stating that “the distribution of nude or semi-nude photographs or videos by text message” is forbidden. They are calling the craze “sexting” and the school system is putting their foot down, for the safety of their students, emotionally and legally.
Hans Graff, assistant general counsel at the Houston Independent School district, realizes that while on one end of the spectrum, the release of nude photographs can be emotionally damaging, it can also lead to criminal punishment: “A student may be sending pictures to their boyfriend and they break up and he sends it to everybody…Any pictures of an underage child could potentially be child pornography and we are not really interested in seeing students punished criminally.”
This new rule was put into effect not only because it seemed to be an “issue” within their district, but also an issue affecting the entire nation. A recent study by the National Campaign to Prevent Tee and Unplanned Pregnancy showed that “22 percent of US teenage girls and 18 percent of teenage boys have sent messages or posted images or video online showing them nude or semi-nude. ”
Wow. That’s a lot!
Well, as Dane Cook once said to Vanexxa Hudgens: “Girls, you gots to keep your clothes on! Phones are for phone calls!”
Heed this advice youth of America!
[Image via Fame Pictures.]