DOES THIS STORY SOUND FAMILIAR?
Sexting is much more common than adults realize…..
“Boys in middle school pressure you so much. I was dating this boy, and he would ask me to send him a naked picture. It got like really bad. He would ask me every day almost, like he wanted to guilt me into doing it. He’d say that everyone did it, and that I should trust him. It was only because he really liked me. I tried saying no. Then he would get mad, and threaten to break up with me. So, finally, I did.”
Sexting can have very serious social consequences for students….
“The next thing I know, it was all over my school. Everybody saw it. Even the high school kids were talking. He swears it wasn’t him, but I don’t know who to trust. I can’t believe how my girlfriends turned on me. I couldn’t walk down the hallway even. I’ve had people who don’t even know me say I’m a slut. I thought, If my parents find out, I’m going to kill myself.”
Sexting can have serious legal consequences for students….
“Some mom called the school. Then of course the Principal gets involved. Don’t even get me started. Seriously, that is when I started to cut.”
FACTS
While it is established that 70% of females have had at least one experience of sexual violence from age fourteen through college years, recent research findings alert us to the dangers that lurk in the hallways of our middle schools.
Substance abuse and sexual violence is becoming increasingly prominent in middle school students across the country. Earlier this week, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois found that almost one in five students in middle school have experienced physical sexual violence while at school. 18-19% students reported being the target of sexual rumors, sexual commentary and homophobic name-calling.