ANNIE GALLANT
Observer Reporter
Sexting is rampant in schools and recently it hit hard in Quesnel.
Wikipedia, an Internet encyclopedia, defines sexting as the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs, primarily between mobile phones.
The term was first popularized around 2005 and is a blending of sex and texting, where the latter is meant in the wide sense of sending a text possibly with images.
Three girls in Quesnel had their sexting posted on a fake Facebook site which went viral (viewed by hundreds of unintended recipients.)
The explicit images of these girls were tagged to everyone at Quesnel junior secondary school’s Facebook pages and others right across Canada who were connected to those Facebook pages.
Six QJS Grade 9 female students witnessed the girls’ humiliation and decided it was time to address the issue.
With the support of QJS staff and principal Cyril Tobin, they organized a girls-only forum at the school on sexting relationships and Internet safety.
But even they weren’t prepared for the outpouring from the school’s female population.
Of the 300 girls who attended the one-hour forum, many spoke up about the effects sexting is having on them and their friends.
“We thought it [the forum] was a good thing,” Jasmine MacDonald said.
“We wanted to provide a safe place to talk about their experiences. So many girls came forward, some were brought to tears.”
Principal Tobin said being a teenager is risky business these days.
“The problems facing youth are immense. Early adolescence is recognized as the last best chance for communities to ensure youth have the coping mechanisms in place to prevent the entry of our children into high risk lifestyles,” he said.
“I feel QJS has entered into a partnership with our school community to talk about important issues.
“Remember, I am old so I know firsthand that many of my students’ parents did some dumb things when they were growing up.
“One of the biggest obstacles for today’s teens is that their dumb actions are captured on video forever.”
The girls agreed.
“It hurts so many people,” Katey Kokesch said.
“And it’s tough to get a Facebook page deleted, so this could follow you for life.”
With almost every student with a cell phone in their pocket and a Facebook page on their computer, it wasn’t long before the images were sent far and wide.
“My cousins in Ontario and Alberta saw the pictures before I did,” Kimberly Garvin said.
Another was horrified to admit her grandmother saw the pictures.
They all agreed that saying no to picture requests is the first step.
“Girls get picture requests as often as once a day,” Kokesch said.
“And there’s a lot of peer pressure to take the pictures and send them to other cell phones.”
The girls were dismayed to report some of the Grade 8 female students in attendance didn’t seem to be taking the issue seriously.
“But they’re on their phones and sometimes it’s not just pictures, it’s videos too,” Kokesch said.
Slated for an hour, the forum went overtime as more and more girls stood up to be heard.
“It was powerful,” Morgan Cromarty said.
“The message was to stay true to yourself and stay strong.”
They said it opened a lot of eyes and seemed to have a real impact on the young women in the room.
“Our staff was impressed with the strength of the voices of the young women,” Tobin said.
“The girls gave each other courage as we talked about technology and relationships.
“Common sense was plentiful and it was clear many of our students are having important conversations with their parents.
“And, it was just as clear, the wisdom was pooled among the girls and shared with healthy results.”
One of the messages the girls hoped others would take from the forum was to find good loyal friends who’ll stick by you.
And as for the boys requesting these explicit pictures, Kokesch summed it up succinctly.
“If you can’t talk to these people, why would you text them and send pictures, what’s to be gained by that?”
