Sexting Tragedy: Sasha Smith

Jessica's case is not an uncommon one with today's youth. There have been several news stories in the past couple years with similar stories of teenage girls and boys using technology to send each other inappropriate pictures and videos of themselves. Many question if it's even okay for adults to participate in "sexting." I think it's controversial only because once the images from this intimate moment are no longer in your sole possession, it is virtually impossible to control who views it. I don't think we can continue to blame others i.e. Ryan, school board or police officers if it was a situation that one had full control over.

It's important for parents and guardians to explain to their children what consequences are. Not all teenagers are "sexting." I didn't even think about doing that when I was in high school or college. I was well aware of all the similar cases that were before Jessica and knew that the Internet gave folks the capability to access your whole life. I've first handed witnessed this at my college when another student taped into the server and retrieved an intimate video of a couple on his dorm's floor. The young woman and man were devastated at their home made video circulating all over campus. I felt empathy for the young woman the same way that I feel empathy for Jessica's family but it's not the community's sole job to raise one's children.

The community members involved (police officer and school board) could have taken more drastic positions but in the end there is no way that they would have been able to stop all the kids from harassing her at all times. The truth is kids can be very cruel at times. I was a survivor of many bullies throughout my childhood and it wasn't always easy. But I did have strong values that I gained from my parents which helped me get through some of the difficult decisions I had to make as a teenager growing up. I don't want to sound like I'm blaming the parents - I just think parents play an important role in how young people make choices. I think it's important for parents to be open and honest with their kids.

It's unfortunate what happened to Jessica and I will have her and her family in my thoughts.

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