Another teen tragedy that involves sexting, bullying and the horrific end to a young beautiful life.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, 13 year old Hope Witsell was a typical teen however suffering from inner turmoil that lead to the end of her life. Hope was taunted by ugly and harassing insults which resulted from a nude photo of herself that was spread via text also known as 'sexting'. Although meant for her boyfriend only, this photo soon went viral and school officials suspended her. She was convinced that tons of people secretly hated her according to her journal.
The St. Petersburg Times also noted: A 2009 Harris online poll shows that one in five teens admits to having sent naked pictures of themselves or others over a cell phone. But even that number may be low.
This is another horrific story that we can learn from. The question is, why is it taking these tragedies to wake us up? Here are some tips to help you help your child/teen with online and cell phone safety. Please know that Love Our Children USA and STOMP Out Bullying is also available for more critical information to keep your children safe.
Parenting 101: Keeping Kids Safe Online
Learn about Internet Predators - in loving memory of Kristin Helms
Teens Taking the Pledge to Fight Bullying and Cyberbullying
Internet Safety and Guidance Counselors
Internet Things Your Children Should NEVER Know
Parents, TALK to your kids! There has never been a more urgent time to open up those lines of communications with your kids and teens.
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Comments
Wow, I will share this all over....such a tragedy
well im 12 years old and i would never do that kind of stuff ive made mistakes before but i wouldnt send nude pics to my boyfriend and then have the whole school know then kill myself.what she did was stupid and what he did was cruel neither of them should have got into that stuff.
Wow. 13 years old? That is a tragedy on so many levels.
Wow i feel so bad for her! I'm not trying to be all awww and all but still neither thing was right to do. horrible but u no i cant blame her completly cuz she might have rele liked that guy and thought hmmm maybe this would make things better. Still that was tragic and this is something i wont forget and remind me how cruel people can b =(
Thanks for writing such a great article Sue. This is heartbreaking and kids need to undestand that sexting can get them into trouble. More importantly, nothing is so terrible that someone has to take their life. I hope any teens reading this understand that.
Ross Ellis
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Love Our Children USA
If we really love our children why do we allow lawmakers to pass laws that classify teens like Hope as a felony child pornographers? Why should she be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison and be classified as a sex offender? Why did the school suspend her, this didn't happen at school? Why did the school refuse to allow her to hold a school office? She was only 13 years old and it appears that the whole world was against her. She made the immature decision of taking a photo of her breast and giving it a boy. What she needed was counseling not punishment. The adults(legal & school systems) are trying to place the blame on fellow students for bullying. The adults are the ones that dished out the punishment and shamed this poor girl. The kids only repeated what they learned from the adults. Another tragic story that will be repeated many more times unless we stop criminalizing juveniles for sexting.
wow...this is horrible and sad :(
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