Teen Kills Herself over "Sexting" Incident

New Posts

gaia227

gaia227

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping an
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
3,739
Reaction score
314
This is so sad. If she would have just finished her last yr and moved on she would have looked back at this incident as embarrassing and unfortunate but I am sure the dramatics of it would have faded and she would wonder why she let these people bother her so much.

She texted a picture of herself nude to her boyfriend. THey broke up and of course in an act of great maturity bf forwards the pic to a bunch of people. Jesse was then subjected to viscious bullying, name-calling and even physical assaults. She never told her mother the extent of it and she felt like she couldn't deal with it any more and she hung herself.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29546030
 
From the link gaia provided:

"“We talked about her being a good kid, a normal kid. Those are most of the ones that are sending out those images,” she said. “Forty-four percent of the boys say that they’ve seen sexual images of girls in their school, and about 15 percent of them are disseminating those images when they break up with the girls.”

This appears to be a much bigger problem than I was aware of to say the least.

It's so sad that this young lady had one moment in time where she didn't make the best choice for herself. That is to be expected from children who are 18. With life experience comes a better sense of judgement.

I'm with gaia, if she could have made it past this, gone on to college, eventually she would have been able to look back at in probably embarrassment but she would have learned from it and she would still be here today.

My heart and prayers go out to her Mother who found her. I just can't imagine that kind of pain. God bless her and give her the strength she needs to carry on.
 
This is such a tragedy.

Our schools are going through some re-evaluation of cell phone use of students at school, sadly, "sexting" is one of the reasons mentioned in the letter sent home. (The middle school is having an issue with this.)
 
OMGosh, this is such a sad case. I feel so bad for all involved. Sexting is really really really big nowadays. Technology is so advanced nowadays and the main form of communication, with teens, is texting. So so so sad.
 
I really hate text messages. I think it will be the downfall of the english language. We have a whole generation of kids whose main way of written communication is using abbrevations, incomplete sentences and acronyms.
And now we have the issue of 'sexting'. I didn't know it was such a problem either. I would have never sent someone nude pics of myself when I was in middle or high school but now(and partly because of the constant connection to media and pop-culture) teens become sexualized at a much younger age unfortunately they do not seem to become more responsible and mature at a younger age......
 
Gaia, thank you for posting this article. I really was out of the loop on what sexting was and how often it happens. I can see that I need to talk to my children and explain to them the consequences.

I'm not the type of mom to say, well my kid(s) would never... even though I don't think they would...I'm still having a talk with them this weekend.
 
My kids are what you call good kids. Honor roll, no behavioral issues, extracurricular activities. We went out to Applebee's one night and this beautiful teenage girl was a couple of tables away with her parents. My boys started giggling and saying "you know who that is". Well I pushed and it turns out she sent a topless photo to herself to her boyfriend and the passed it on to everyone and anyone he could. We all had a LONG talk about respect. I felt horrible for her and her parents. My youngest, a girl, not quite 13 had a falling out with a girl who was her best friend because she starting taking, posting and sending photos of herself in various states of dress. Thankfully my kids don't seem to be as fast as some of their classmates but my eyes are WIDE open.
 
This is so sad :(
I think if I had a child they would hate me because I really don't think I'd turn a kid loose with a cell phone period! Maybe at certain times they could have 1 that did not text, did not take pictures and was only able to call me or 911.
I wonder if kids think they are in a way making themselves into super models or some type of celebrity because of their pictures?

VB
 
gaia227 said:
I really hate text messages. I think it will be the downfall of the english language. We have a whole generation of kids whose main way of written communication is using abbrevations, incomplete sentences and acronyms.
And now we have the issue of 'sexting'. I didn't know it was such a problem either. I would have never sent someone nude pics of myself when I was in middle or high school but now(and partly because of the constant connection to media and pop-culture) teens become sexualized at a much younger age unfortunately they do not seem to become more responsible and mature at a younger age......
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%. I'm an old bat of 54 and wouldn't know how to text message if my life depended on it. And I wouldn't do it. I'm glad I'm an old bat and not a teen in this day and age, seriously. Acronyms and incomplete sentences are pure laziness.
 
DBinMA said:
My kids are what you call good kids. Honor roll, no behavioral issues, extracurricular activities. We went out to Applebee's one night and this beautiful teenage girl was a couple of tables away with her parents. My boys started giggling and saying "you know who that is". Well I pushed and it turns out she sent a topless photo to herself to her boyfriend and the passed it on to everyone and anyone he could. We all had a LONG talk about respect. I felt horrible for her and her parents. My youngest, a girl, not quite 13 had a falling out with a girl who was her best friend because she starting taking, posting and sending photos of herself in various states of dress. Thankfully my kids don't seem to be as fast as some of their classmates but my eyes are WIDE open.
Click to expand...


Wow. It seems like everyone has a story dealing with this. A little girl of 12 sending pics of herself? I was still playing with Barbies when I was 12.
 
Wonder how many young teen guys are going to go on and become the type of men who get addicted to trying to get women to disrobe online, sex chat, and even go to nudie bars. It's bad the girl committed suicide because the guy and people who harassed her weren't worth her life. The internet isn't worth two cents really, definitely not worth killing one's self or getting upset.
 
Personally, my daughter is an honor student and is in the process of the final stages of publishing her own fantasy book at the age of 18. She sends text messages often throughout the day to me with all the text lingo, abreviations, minus the proper punctuation. She may have rebelled, ignored me or simply stop texting if I got her to send text's me in full sentence structure.

Certainly has not hurt her English language ability & talents. JMHO.

I'm the 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" kinda mom. If text lingo is the "in thing", that's perfectly fine by me. I'll go with any methods to always keep the communication door open with my teens.

This poor sweet girl, if she only knew in a matter of months, these people would be but a distant pathetic memory that has no bearing on her real life.
 
Kids have always had the capacity to be cruel (yes even back in the 70's) but it seems like the line between 'cruel' and psychopathicly souless gets thinner almost apace with our technological 'advances'.
Or maybe im just getting old.
 
kline said:
Kids have always had the capacity to be cruel (yes even back in the 70's) but it seems like the line between 'cruel' and psychopathicly souless gets thinner almost apace with our technological 'advances'.
Or maybe im just getting old.
Click to expand...

im not really "older" but i think its always been about the same. Every few years some new "horror" is "exposed" and blamed for teen deaths/suicides/murders etc. Rock music, dungeons and dragons, video games, rap music, Marilyn Manson, now texting/sexting...

People want to blame something other than themselves when kids (and adults) hurt themselves. Raise your kid right so that they don't send nude pictures to guys for a start. But no its easier to blame text messaging in general. Disturbed people or people prone to suicide, depression, etc can hurt themselves over anything. Ok if it wasnt a sext message it would be something else.

im not above all that. i have some serious psych and emotional problems, and have attempted suicide (last year actually). Its never so simple and easy as just blaming something abstract.
 
I'm not disagreeing, but middle school and up there is SO MUCH peer pressure. Even a well raised kid can give in and follow the lead of the majority. I mean think about it those of you who are children of the 60's and 70's - ever smoked pot? I haven't, but I have always been an extremely strong and independent person. When we start stretching those parental ties, sometimes that resolve to be good kids can weaken just enough.

And I CANNOT stand all that abbreviation. I will tolerate it for texting, but if I see it on message boards or hand written stuff, I won't even read past the first "r u going 2nite?" If your thoughts aren't worth the time to write out, why should I take my time to read them?
 
So sad!! Prayers for this girls family and her true friends. May those who bullied/teased her find compassion now and learn from this to not ever purposely hurt another.

I'd never heard of "sexting", but I don't even own a cell phone. I can't imagine the pressures that kids nowadays face - I thought it was bad being a teenager in the 80's, LOL.
 
Thorkim said:
I agree with you 100%. I'm an old bat of 54 and wouldn't know how to text message if my life depended on it. And I wouldn't do it. I'm glad I'm an old bat and not a teen in this day and age, seriously. Acronyms and incomplete sentences are pure laziness.
Click to expand...


I'm an old bat too and don't have a clue about sending text messages. My granddaughter got a new cell phone and wasn't satisfied with it so her boyfriend bought her another one this weekend. She put me on her plan and gave me the first new phone. I can send a call and end one but I tell you I can't figure anything else out like how to retrieve a call I missed! It's really pitiful but I guess the cell phones are just to technical for this old worn out brain. I sure wouldn't be sending anyone a nude shot of me....it would scare them to death :crazy:
 
My daughter has learned that I will not respond to her text messages unless they are full formed, punctuated and correctly spelled.
Click to expand...

Well we all know what a PITA you are! :silenced:

Honestly, I'm pretty much known as the grammar police around here, but I still use abbreviations while texting and love using it with my teen and even my husband. It is very convenient when one of us is someplace where it can't be noisy, (like a very boring meeting or waiting room, etc). What is the big deal?

This girl's problem is that she made a terrible decision that couldn't be taken back, and then thought it was the end of the world. I remember those days - thinking I wanted to die when my boyfriend broke up with me or when a rumor was spread about me. You have to get through it. I feel horrible for her family. It must be devastating to think that they didn't realize how upset she was. Some kids are really good at hiding their suffering.

Suicide is not because of one thing. My aunt's fiance who took his own life didn't do it because of the IRS and my cousin's husband didn't do it because his marriage was in trouble. They both did it because of severe depression that didn't allow them to see a future beyond a temporary problem, a hopelessness and despair that made them feel that life would never be good again after this one thing went terribly wrong. And that's what happened here. It isn't because of the picture or the boy or the family.

We really need to remember that suicide is a symptom of a terrible disease, and that blaming the phone is like blaming a car for an accident. Just because it isn't used correctly doesn't make it a bad thing or the cause of all evil in the world.

My prayers go out to her family and friends. I hope they find peace.
 
My daughter has learned that I will not respond to her text messages unless they are full formed, punctuated and correctly spelled.
Click to expand...

My daughter gets the same lesson from me. To her horror, her boyfriend and other friends who text me from time to time get their texts critiqued and returned with corrections! :)

As for sexting - I didn't know there was a name for it. I do know that while trying to take a picture of my face with my eyes crossed to put on my daughter's phone as a joke... I found a picture of a shlong. I looked closer and noticed the BACKGROUND of the shlong was my MOTHER'S guest bathroom tile! Apparently, while my daughter's boyfriend was over at Mom's, he took a photo of himself on her phone. (the angle did suggest he took the photo himself.)

I deleted it, but told him I photoshopped the image and put it on my webpage.
 
My daughter has learned that I will not respond to her text messages unless they are full formed, punctuated and correctly spelled.
Click to expand...


When I first started texting, my son sent me a message it read IDK. All day I would send him a message asking what does IDK mean? He would send IDK back. By the time he got home I was mad, as soon as he walked in the door, I said what does IDK mean? He said I don't know. I screamed and told him not to text something if he didn't know what it meant. He of course, fell in the floor laughing. I felt stupid. They now know they had better spell things out for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Staff online

Members online

... and 268 more.
Total: 4,269 (members: 269, guests: 4,000)

Online statistics

Members online
269
Guests online
4,000
Total visitors
4,269
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,554
Messages
17,954,830
Members
228,532
Latest member
GravityHurts
Back
Top