Jennifer Mitchell Earley

Every time you look around, your teen is texting someone about something. They even chide you about your disdain for texting or your inability to text with speed or accuracy. But there’s a shocking new phenomenon regarding teen texting - sharing nude or partially nude photos via text message, known as “Sexting.” Sexting is against the law. It can result in your teen facing felony-level child pornography charges and classified as a sex offender, or at the least, misdemeanor-level charges of contributing to the deliquency of a minor. There have been several cases of such across the nation and in Ohio. One case, that of 18 year old Sycamore High School student Jessica Logan, resulted in her suicide. Logan sent a nude cell phone picture to her boyfriend and it was sent to hundreds of teenagers in at least seven Greater Cincinnati high schools.

Your typically effervescent and gregarious teenage daughter has become withdrawn and introverted. You notice sudden changes in her mood. Her disposition has been really poor lately; she seems to always be in a bad mood. Her smile is gone and her laugh is virtually non-existent. Overall, you surmise, her personality has changed. You chalk it up to hormones; after all, she is a teenager... But is that the only explanation ... READ MORE