By Chris Paradis ’16, Staff Writer

The stigma of the modern American teenager has become that of an individual who is overly invested in his/her phone, rarely looking away from a screen to face the real world. 78% of teens in America now own cell phones. Of these individuals, 47% own smartphones. This figure has steadily increased, rising from just  23% in 2011.  While the amount of time teenagers spend on their devices is cause for concern, the actual usage of these devices is revealing more serious implications for the role of technology in teenagers’ lives.

On November 6th, 2015, police authorities made a shocking public announcement outside of Canon City High School in Colorado.  Following anonymous hints from the student body, officials announced that they had searched the school, confiscated three cellphones, and discovered over one hundred nude and inappropriate pictures. This discovery diverged into a large scale sexting scandal, which officials now claim involves over 100 students and 300-400 photographs. It appears that the circulation of these inappropriate pictures is not a new event within the school community, but rather a trend that has been occurring for many years. Investigations are continuing as police still have unanswered questions. Beyond the mere embarrassment of the involved individuals, the legal actions regarding this “sexting scandal” may involve serious charges to these individuals.

The Canon City School District publicly noted that charges could amount to a Class 3 felony if students took “a picture of themselves showing a naked private body part and sent it to another person, .. received such a  picture and forwarded it to another person, or.. received such a picture and retained possession of it over time.”  Clearly, the charges to these students, and the future actions of the High School in general, extend far beyond the spreading of these pictures. The situation complicates however, because law enforcement officials are at a loss as to how to proceed. While involvement with child pornography is a felony, a majority of the involved individuals are minors, and voluntarily sent the inappropriate pictures of themselves to others. So, who is really at fault?

Many argue that there are key distinctions to be made in determining appropriate consequences for the involved individuals. Ben Goodman ‘16 commented, “The individuals who sent compromising photos of themselves didn’t exercise discretion.” However, he argued that these individuals do not necessarily deserve to be forced to register as sex offenders. The distinction between malicious intent and naiveté are integral in making decisions regarding this scandal. Minors who are victimized by the spreading of inappropriate pictures of themselves often do not have control of the pictures once they are shared; individuals who harbor these pictures and actively collect and share them are most at the risk of being punished by the law. Mrs. Lifson, humanities teacher, argues, “There should be special laws that deal with sexting.” She also noted that it is important to “recognize that kids can act stupidly sometimes without being criminals.” Within these laws, she argued, there should be “harsher penalties for those who are engaging in behavior designed to pressure, hurt or humiliate.”  

Current legislation regarding the new complications that technology brings to modern society must adapt to the modern world, and will have to deal with inevitable situations similar to the current one in Canon City High School. While the ultimate decisions and legal consequences remain undetermined, important lessons can be learned, and hopefully prevent future similar situations. We still do not understand the full extent of the capabilities our cellphones grant us. As Ethan Levine ‘16 noted, “Once technology is used beyond its initially designed purpose, being a tool, it can be extremely dangerous.” Perhaps the greatest risk in this new technological age is not what we know it can do, but rather what we do not know it can do. Acknowledging the lack of privacy online, and the serious legal consequences involved, are new factors which are essential for modern teenagers and society as a whole to understand.