Sexting Prevention Education Program

before you text program

TxSSC is proud to announce the Sexting Prevention Educational Program for Texas. This program may be used in part or in its entirety as an educational tool. There is also an accompanying test to demonstrate successful completion of this program. A certificate of successful completion is available for printing, upon answering 80% or more of the test questions correctly. The Sexting Prevention Educational Program places special emphasis on preventing sexting by minors to address the legal, social, emotional, educational and/or career impact.

http://beforeyoutext.com

With the passage of SB 407 on June 17, 2011, the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC), in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, has been called to develop programs that address the dangers and consequences of sexting, as well as the related issues of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and sexting. These education programs will be available to school districts by January 1, 2012, and they will be required to make these programs available on a yearly basis, beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

Click here for more info on SB 407

In addition, if a minor is convicted of violating this new law, a judge can require the child to successfully attend and complete an educational program developed by the TxSSC, which will be available no later than January 1, 2012.

As the TxSSC develops these new, pioneering programs, we’d like to provide you with a few useful resources for both youth and adults related to the prevention and response to sexting and other unhealthy digital behaviors:

For Youth:

Sexting Brochure - A PDF sexting brochure form the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.

athinline.org - MTV's A Thin Line campaign was developed to empower you to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse in your life and amongst your peers. The campaign is built on the understanding that there's a "thin line" between what may begin as a harmless joke and something that could end up having a serious impact on you or someone else.

Sexting in America - When Privates Go Public - This show looks at real-life stories from people like Ally, whose reputation was destroyed after sexting her ex-boyfriend, and Phillip, who was charged with child pornography after forwarding photos of his underage girlfriend and is slated to remain on the sex-offender registry until he's 43 years old.

nsteens.org & netsmartzkids.org - NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement. With resources such as videos, games, activity cards, and presentations, NetSmartz entertains while it educates.

For Adults:

netsmartz.org - A program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Parenting wired kids can be difficult, especially if you didn't grow up with the same technologies. These resources can help.

commonsensemedia.org - Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.

ikeepsafe.org - You can help your child become a responsible, ethical digital citizen with healthy online relationships. To do that, you’ll use the same successful parenting skills that you’re already using at home.