October is the month specially designated in our Archdiocese for Child Protect renewals. People previously certified are expected to renew their certification, typically by going to the Archdiocesan website, clicking the appropriate box, watching the video, and answering a couple of questions. The range of topics has been wide, from issues of safety on youth outings to warning signs that abuse of one kind or another might be going on in the home to inappropriate relationships between adults and under-age young people (aka, “grooming”).
This time, the topic of the video is “sexting,” the solicitation of images (either naked photos or engaged in sexual actions).
In the era of social media and digital image manipulation, this is a crucial topic especially for young people. Sadly, I know for a fact that it goes on, and (I was shocked by this) it actually begins as early as middle school. The ease of taking a selfie and sending it makes this activity terribly dangerous, as our video suggests: a girl thought she was talking to a peer; they seemed to “hit it on,” and when he requested naked pictures, she sent one. It turned out that he was an adult masquerading as a teen, and then he threatened to publish the photos online.
This is all evil, but (spoiler alert) there is evil in our world. Worst of all, when such requests are made via social media platforms like Snapchat, the messages disappear shortly after being sent—in other words, no evidence. This is why, if your child or young adult has been solicited in this way, it’s critical to take a screen-shot of the message ASAP, to preserve it for whatever legal action might be necessary.
There is a good deal of shame involved when young people (sadly, mostly females) cave in, send the pictures, and then panic—what will become of those images? Where might they surface? I have heard this question asked in confession: “Why was I so stupid as to do this?”
Parents: I doubt your teens/young adults will read this essay, but you can sit down with them, read it together, and discuss it. Please do. This is closely related to my essay of a couple of weeks ago, on rumors and gossip: once a bit of gossip (or a photo) is out there, there is no way of calling it back and undoing the damage. I hope that your young people can realize that NO ONE who truly cares for them would ask for these pictures. I said in a homily a few weeks ago that we were not made, as human beings, to be bought and sold and used and cast away; we were made for authentic relationships that respect mutual dignity of the other.
Lord, protect the dignity of those who are attacked in this way, and bring to a conversion of heart those who would perpetrate these attacks. -Fr. David