the buzz log

Picture this: You're 15 and bored. You snap a photo with your mobile in your birthday suit and send picture mail to your friends. Silly prank, right? Wrong. You've just become a trafficker of child pornography. And your friends who received the image? They are now in possession of porn.

That's what some students in a Pennsylvania high school discovered, as a group of teens who sent and received the pics are now under investigation for sending "inappropriate messages via cellphone."

The practice, known as "sexting," has become common among teens, and whether the photos are freely given or coerced, it's one more thing that kids these days are doing under parental radar.

In fact, "tech sex" is more common than ever. According to a study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, "One in 5 teenagers say they've electronically sent or posted online nude or semi-nude images of themselves" and 39 percent of teenagers have sent sexual e-mail messages or instant messages.

Just as new ways to communicate break ground, they unfortunately bring with them a downside, and teens said they did not know how to respond to "textual abuse," in research reported by the New York Times.

The Advertising Council and the Family Violence Prevention Fund are aiming to change that, launching a mainly digital campaign for teens, including a website, to give some guidance to handle bad behavior. Teens can download or e-mail biting "callout cards" to the offending texter with such sarcastic messages as "Remind me to teach you a little thing called privacy" and "Congratulations! With that last text you achieved stalker status."

TV and print ads will follow, still aimed at a teen audience. For now, parents will have to resort to the old-fashioned way of finding out what their kids are up to: Tell their teens to turn off their phones and ask them.