The situation which unfolded last week at a high school in Colorado seemed to be something right out of a Law & Order SVU episode. It’s the kind of nightmare parents hear about when reports of sexting appear on the news, and for the parents of some 100 students in the small town of Cañon City, that nightmare became a vivid reality on Friday.
According to the New York Times, between 300 and 400 nude photos of Cañon City High School students were discovered by police, thought to belong to well over 100 students. The photos broke open a schoolwide “sexting ring” that had been operating in the student body for quite a while, authorities said.
The photos belonged to students ranging from seniors to eighth graders in the local middle school. Several came from the football team, which was forced to forfeit their upcoming final game.
The New York Times reports that the nudes were shared by students through what are known as “vault apps.” On a smartphone they are often disguised as calculators, but with the correct passwords they can quickly unlock hidden images. Apparently the photo-sharing was a competition of sorts, where points were given to students who collected the most nudes. Both boys and girls equally participated in the sexting game.
One parent described her horror when she found nudes on her child’s cellphone in 2012, when he was just 12 years old and attending Cañon City Middle School.
“He told me there was nothing the school could do because half the school was sexting,” Heidi Wolfgang told the New York Times.
Both the police and district attorney are investigating whether any adults played a role in the scandal, whether kids were pushed to take part and most importantly whether child pornography charges will be filed. This is the most important thing to remember when it comes to sexting as a teenager—Even though it may seem like it’s just between two consenting people, if one or even both of the parties or under 18, child pornography comes into play. And that’s not something you want to mess around with.