Teenagers, Texting & Driving mistakes can cause legal problems.
My job as a security expert requires me to assist others in protecting their physical and intellectual assets, which is why I am so passionate about educating parents and teens regarding the real safety issues that can be associated with inappropriate texting behaviors. While parents certainly have the best intentions when they give teens a cell phone, they may also be setting themselves up for future legal issues. Most teens lack the maturity and experience to know how to use their newfound technology freedom and without proper parent monitoring (and at times intervention), teens may find themselves (and their parents!) in legal hot water. Read more to find out what happens when Teens Texting mistakes cross the Legal Line.
Just what kind of legal issues could you encounter?
- The majority of states (including the District of Columbia and Guam) have a primary law prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. This means an officer can ticket the driver for the offense without any other traffic offense taking place.
- In many jurisdictions, there are parental liability laws that allow someone who is intentionally injured by a minor to hold the parents of that minor responsible—this may include acts of cyberbullying.
- If a parent knows that his/her minor is engaged in inappropriate texting behaviors such as sexting or cyberbullying and does nothing to prevent it, the parent is at risk of being charged for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
- Extremely harmful online speech can violate criminal laws—this includes sending obscene or harassing text messages, creating or sending sexually explicit images of teens and taking a photo of someone in a private place such as a locker room.
Don’t wait for an incident to happen to you or your child before you talk to your teen about the consequences of sexting, cyberbullying or driving while texting. It is your responsibility as a
parent to keep the lines of communication open and to monitor your teen’s texting behavior. For more information on the legal ramifications of inappropriate texting behaviors, checkout my new ebook, Safe Text: Protecting Your Teens from the Dangers of Texting.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Very interesting. I don’t have teens, and my cell phone is used only for 911 emergencies.
Cyberbullying is a very upntteisg and scary topic. It is so upntteisg to know that most of this bullying is coming from high schoolers or younger! I have had a cell phone since 6th grade, and almost every single one of my friends has had a cell phone since at least high school. So many kids have cell phones, computers, and internet access. I think one of the reasons cyber bullying is so bad is because it is so easy to say or do something when the other person can’t see you, people are braver (and stupider) when there is a screen in-between them, the you can’t see me, I can’t see you part of the first article mentions that. I think a lot of kids do think that it is just a game and that since they were joking around it doesn’t matter, but I know that when I was in middle/high school I took everything so personally and I know a lot of other kids did too, and any hurtful words would have really affected us. The article also mentioned a few reasons why kids don’t report it when they see it or experience it, like fear of getting suspended, or that thinking its their fault, that they will face greater retribution, or they fear that their online activities or cell phone use will be restricted. I know that when I was allowed to move the downstairs computer into my room the summer before high school started that I was secret about my online activities. All we did was AOL chat with our friends and post a thousand icons of harry potter and hearts to each other, but I was secretive because I didn’t want to get in trouble or get the computer taken away. (We were either savvy or really just so super naive that my friends and I didn’t participate or really even see much of the cyberbullying, thankfully.) I think a lot of kids are so scared or worried about getting their computers or phones taken away and will let themselves (or a friend) be traumatized rather then do the right thing. I think there does need to be more involvement in prevention and more awareness. I think parents and teachers should make sure the kids know that they are there for them, that they do want to help, and that they can help, and that they don’t just want to get them or their friends in trouble.
As a teenager, I find this very parinoiztng. I’ve had a cell phone and texted since I was about thirteen. I’ve never done any of the stupid or illegal stuff you talk about. It’s not because my parents were surveilling me all the time, either; they weren’t. Instead of monitoring their kids, maybe parents should set an example by being responsible. If parents have been so uninvolved with their kid that they haven’t taught to have basic common sense, they’re probably not going to do anything about it now.