CALL TO ACTION:
LET’S TALK ABOUT SEXTING
Is this problem affecting our community?! Last week, CUSD 220 officials sent an email to parents reporting that police and school officials were investigating an incident of sexting at a Barrington middle school. Inappropriate images of a student were allegedly shared among a small circle of other students via text messages. The school was first made aware of the issue shortly after students returned from spring break. Upon becoming aware that the images had been redistributed to a wide circle of students, the school realized the gravity of the situation and involved local law enforcement. Since the incident, students’ responses have ranged widely. While some have expressed shockabout the alleged consequences, few verbalized disbelief. Many older students shared stories of their own experiences, expressing regret, as well as a strong desire to help increase awareness amongst parents and teens. Almost every one of them seemed to be informed of the incident, regardless of the school or grade they attended. Facts about teen sexting Substance abuse and sexual violence are becoming increasingly prominent in middle school students across the country. Earlier this week, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois foundthat almost one in five students in middle school have experienced physical sexual violence while atschool. What else do we know?• 18-19% students report being the target of sexual rumors, sexual commentary and homophobic name calling.
• 30% of teens in the US are sexting.
• Almost 25% of troubled seventh-graders send sexually suggestive texts or photos.
• Sexting is much more common than adults realize. Why should we talk about this?
Sexting can have serious social, legal, academic, and psychological consequences for students. Direct and indirect involvement can both be crippling, and serve to potentially derail vulnerable youth. As a community, we must recognize the need for a concerted effort to support each other as we work through our shock, and move toward a safer future. The goal is to inspire a conversation about what it is that children need to better prepare them for high school and adulthood. By participating in this event, you may walk away a little more informed, and thus be in a better position to step up to the next level of intervention either for your own family member, or just as valuable, the life of someone else’s child. Please make the time and attend. Target audience The events will have separate sessions for adults and students. This will allow audience participation to be more candid, and thereby helpful. All minors will require the permission of a parent or guardian toattend.
What will you learn? A powerpoint presentation will be followed with an opportunity to ask questions, and gain direction. Topics covered include the following and more.
• What parents can do about sexting
• Why teens are sexting images of themselves
• Why teens are sexting or requesting images of others
• Psychological, social, legal, and academic consequences of sexting
• What to do after the fact
• Red flags
About the presenter Nausheen Din, MD is a physician specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry. She is committed to assessing and treating children with complex psychiatric and behavioral disorders. Dr. Din has been in private practice for close to fifteen years, and completed her adult psychiatry residency training at the Loyola University Medical Center, as well as a fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where she served as chief resident. She works closely with the community and local school districts, and is a resident of Barrington. This allows her an invaluable glimpse into the life of our youth from the perspective of a clinician as well as apparent. She has been an invited speaker for several school districts, NAMI, and other audiences, and her presentations have consistently been well received.
