Teens often do not think through some of the actions they may take with a girl friend or boy friend that may have long-term consequences. In our digital age cameras are everywhere, on cell phones, computers, and in most homes. Digital cameras and cell phone cameras may feel safe to use to take indecent pictures of one’s body or self in a sexy way.

Once pictures are out of your camera or hands, you no longer have any control over what happens to them or where they will end up. The pictures may end up on a website after you show or give them to a friend. You will have no control over which he or she shows them too.

What people fail to realize is yes the internet feels anonymous, and big, but when you place something out there in cyberspace you can never get it back again. It is important that kids reconsider having his or her picture uploaded to the World Wide Web and to places like My Space and Face book.

Perspective employers and even college admission offices are searching the web to see what you are doing. Your online activity can leave a very audible trail of where you have been and how you act or respond to certain things in life.
If you doubt my words here, go to Google and simply type in your email address and see what comes up. Next, erase the @.com or .net part just leaving the first part and do a new search. Next step type in your first and last name and state and see what comes up. I would type Erika Lyn Smith and Mo. Try your home phone number or cell phone number. Are you surprised at what you see?

When you give out information, answer posts or even post pictures to a website you will never be able to remove the information. If you allow someone to take explicit pictures of you in compromising positions and outfits it is likely that at some point you will find them on the web.

When you take pictures for a friend, how do you know they will stay only with that person and not be shown to other people? You cannot know that this will happen, regardless of what the other person tells you. People break up and later find out the pictures that they trusted their significant other with is now on a My Space website.

Respect yourself, respect your body, and respect your future, do not allow anyone to exploit you for their pleasure. Do not place anything on the WWW that you will ever wish is not on their as someone will find what you hope no one sees. Protect yourself, no one else will.