Sioux Falls Police spokesman Sam Clemens says sexting by teens is much too common.

"A lot of it involves teenagers. From time to time, there are reports that pop up. If you talk to the school resource officers they see a lot of sexting," explained Clemens.

"The answer is educating young people about the dangers of sending these photos to others. We need to tell teens it's not appropriate. But, there are times when it gets out of hand and the images get shared."

Clemens urges parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of sexting.

"Parents really need to be involved and know what their kids are doing on online whether it's a phone or computer. Parents need to be checking and making sure the kids are following the rules. A lot of times some parents may think the phone belongs to the child and they don't have a right to the phone. But that's certainly not the case."

If a teen has sent inappropriate pictures to others, Clemens says it's time to tell someone!

"The best thing to do is to come forward. They can tell a parent. If you don't want to talk to your parent, talk to a school resource officer. Somebody will get you help and hopefully out of the situation that you are in."

A national study on sexting from Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project indicates that 15 percent of teens owning phones have received nude or nearly nude images of someone they know.


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