Public Service

AAF: Cedar Rapids-Iowa City ad campaign alerts teens to the dangers of 'sexting'

What happened to the time when, if you liked a boy or girl at school, you'd pass them a note? These days the disturbing new nation-wide trend in teenage flirting is sending nude or semi-nude photos from cell phone to cell phone. Instead of "texting," they call it called "sexting."

While the X-rated offerings are usually intended just for a boyfriend or girlfriend, the photos often wind up being shared. These photos of minors are grounds for child pornography charges.

The dangerous combination of teenagers behaving provocatively and impulsively is not new, but the accessibility to the technology is. With cameras built into cell phones and other internet-enabled devices, they now have a tool so quick and easy to use, it's almost impossible to pass up. And in the transparent culture built around social networking sites, it all spreads like wildfire.

"Somebody might send it to somebody else's phone and that person has Facebook on their phone and they automatically upload it to their Facebook or MySpace page," explained one teen. What teens don't realize is just how serious the consequences can be. Just taking an explicit photo can be considered child pornography. Distributing or possessing a photo of this nature on your cell phone is another potentially illegal act.

To raise awareness of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area teens and their parents to the legal and emotional dangers of sexting, the AAF: CR-IC Public Service Committee ad pros have prepared two :30 second TV spots and a poster for junior and senior high schools.

“We felt this was a worthwhile effort for our community,” said Diane Slawson, committee chair. “Our hope is that teens who see these PSA TV spots will never take or post provocative images of themselves – images that can ruin their reputation and may haunt them in years to come.”

The committee, whose members volunteered their time and talents to create this campaign for the benefit of area teens, also prepared a :30 TV spot advising parents to take a closer look at how their teens are using their cell phones and counsel their teens that sexting is considered a crime.

The American Advertising Federation: Cedar Rapids-Iowa City (AAF: CR-IC) is an Iowa chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), a national organization of more than 50,000 professionals in more than 550 chapters across the country. AAF: CR-IC is a part of the 9th district. The 9th District includes clubs from Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas City (M.I.N.K.). The Public Service Committee is dedicated to providing advertising/marketing help Pro Bono to local non-profits as a public service.

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