On Thursday, September 20, 2012, Trooper Chuck talked to the Middle School and High School about sexting, bullying, cyber bullying, child pornography, and ways to stop it. There are many cases in the Panhandle of Nebraska.
BULLYING & CYBER BULLYING
Trooper Chuck taught us about some of the dangers of bullying and cyber bullying. We learned about how important it is and that many teenagers commit suicide because of bullying. About 4% of all suicides are caused by bullying. Teenage female suicides have gone up by 70% in the past 5 years. Cyber bullying is when a person uses technology to bully another person.
One of the videos was about a boy, who was told to “go home and shoot yourself and nobody would miss you.” Then the boy went home and killed himself.
Bullying isn’t just physical, it can also be emotional. Some examples of bullying are: excluding a person from a group, calling them names, talking about people behind their backs, & physically hurting them. Bullying is the main cause of suicidal thoughts all throughout America. We also learned that girls have a higher rate of suicide than guys.
SEXTING
Sexting is when someone takes a picture of someone nude/partially nude or a picture of a sexual act and sends it to others. There are many young adults and teens that are now sexting.
It really got us thinking about bullying when he mentioned that a girl named, Jessica killed herself because people were bullying her. She took a picture of herself naked and sent it to her boyfriend. When they broke up he sent it to all of his buddies who passed the picture on to their buddies. Many people teased (bullied) her about the picture, causing her to become depressed. She didn’t do anything. She thought that when she graduated it would be over. One day, her mother went into her room and saw her hanging. This is an example of sexting.
INTERESTING FACTS
Trooper Chuck said that if someone reported a picture of a naked or partially naked person under the age of 18, the person in possession can be put in jail for child pornography.
We didn’t know that having a nude picture of somebody 18 years old or under is child pornography. Having possession of child pornography can cost you $10,000 or 5 years in prison or both.
Trooper Chuck also said that the police can go into your phone records to find evidence of sexting or bullying. If a person has a picture of a guy/gal that is under the age of 18 can get be arrested. This will make the chances of getting hired very difficult, because it is a felony.
What do you do if you get a nude/partially nude or a picture of a sexual act?
- DO NOT PASS IT ON.
- Tell a trusted adult. (Parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, police officer, etc.)
- Show the police the picture. They will investigate. Even though we can’t stop all bullying, we can sure take a stand and stand up for what’s right.
What can you do if you are being bullied?
Tell a trusted adult. (Parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, & etc.)
What if someone else is being bullied?
Tell a trusted adult. (Parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, & etc.)
Don’t join in the bullying.
Stand up for them.
Be their friend.
Signs of suicide:
Obsessing (talking about or posting it) about death.
Telling people that they feel they don’t have a right to live.
Depression (great sadness)
Saying that they want to kill themselves.
Change in social behavior.
IN ALL CASES TELL A TRUSTED ADULT!!!
Report incident
