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Teens, Sexting, and Blackmail at a Wisconsin High School

Anthony Stancl coereced male classmates into sending him nude photos, then used those photos to blackmail them into participating in sexual abuse

Anthony Stancl was a student at Eisenhower High School New Berlin, Wisconsin. He was considered a bit of a braggart, a bit of a jerk, who generally didn’t fit in well. He initially harassed and then made overtures to a known and popular gay, male student at the school, which brought him additional ridicule. He had a part-time job after school as an application developer and seemed to get along well with the adults there.

And on Facebook, he posed as a female Eisenhower student and tricked at least 31 young male students at the school into sending him naked images of themselves. He used those pictures to coerce 7 of the young men into performing sex-acts with him on camera. This was not discovered until he created a fake bomb threat, resulting in his computers being searched. (Read more details about this case here.)

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"A Thin Line" Between Flirting and Sexting

A Thin Line is an MTV campaign aimed at arming teens and parents with information on the “thin line” between public and private in our digital world. The offer resources for understanding the dangers of making too much of your information private, as well as what to do with texting stalkers and digital harassment.

Their most recent and most highly-impactful tool is a documentary (done in an MTV-like style) that follows a couple of cases of teen sexting and how the teens involved experienced horrible repercussions for their actions—from extreme harassment and embarrassment to being registered as a sex offender.

I’ve posted the entire documentary below (in 4 parts, about 45 mins total).  Take a look at the videos or watch them with your teen. They could prove a good starting place for an open discussion about what is and is not appropriate in cyberspace.

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Motorola: A Pro-Sexting Company?

I know we’ve focused a lot on teen sexting lately, here on the Neighborhood Crime Map, but a recent commercial, aired during the super bowl last weekend, seemed to stir up the waters again. You know how we feel about teen sexting, but what do you think about this commercial? Do you think it could encourage young people to “sext”? Could it be potentially damaging? Or, is it just a harmless, funny commercial? Watch the video embedded below and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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The Real Purpose of Sex Offender Registries


Photo by Becky Brewer via Flickr

In Lacey, Wash., A 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy are being charged with distributing child pornography, and—if convicted—will be required to register as sex offenders. The Seattle Times reports that the boy was engaged in a relationship with another 14-year-old girl, during which he obtained an explicit picture of her. After the two broke up, the boy sent the picture to the 13-year-old girl, who then distributed it to other classmates.

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Kentucky House Bill Seeks to Lessen Penalty for Sexting by Minors

How serious is too serious when it comes to punishing the act of sexting by minors?

The Bowling Green Daily News recently reported that Kentucky state representative Jody, Richards, D-Bowling Green, has introduced House Bill 57—legislation that would lessen the punishment meted out for sexting by minors. Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photos, or images via cell phone, computer, or other digital device.

According to the article, minors would be charged with “a simple violation” for their first offense, and a misdemeanor for all following offenses.

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