Inappropriate Use of Digital Media

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Inappropriate Use of Digital Media

Kim Henry
A little over a year ago, an upset parent came into our school one morning with his daughter's phone showing us a picture of  another student's penis and asking us what we were going to do about it. Of course, this would seem like a very easy case because a 19 year old should know better, right?  

Unfortunately, it was not so easy when working with young adults with special needs. In the text exchanges leading up to the finale, the young man was asking her if she wanted to be "friends with benefits."  Her response seemed to indicate that she was open to the idea, although it seemed clear to staff and the parent that she really did not understand the concept of friends with benefits.  Thus, she got the very unexpected picture.  At that point she ended the conversation and told him she would see him in school the next day.

To further complicate the situation, she did not inform her parents about the picture and her feelings about it.  They discovered it after she had gone to bed that night and they were checking her phone.  They were upset when they talked to her the next day and would not allow her to come to school with the young until the issue was resolved.  Both of the students were very upset about the entire situation also, possibly because they were both adults and felt their privacy was violated.  It is also possible that the young lady was truly traumatized by this experience was afraid to ask her parents or teachers for help in coping with the difficult situation.  I a quite certain that he would never have sent that picture out if she was 17 or younger, but he honestly did believe that it was okay for adults.