A Texas mom had had the same mobile number for over 10 years and had never received an inappropriate text, until the following came up: “For live nudity available right now, click here.” Her mind immediately raced to the last known place where she provided her mobile number. Maybe a rewards program? A retailer’s coupon feed? She was worried her daughter had received the text on her phone at school. So, later that day, she posted to social media to see if anyone else had received a similar text. The response shocked her. Many people (including kids) who were AT&T customers had received the same live nudity text within a 48-hour period. She contacted AT&T. They said spam is a multi-carrier problem and provided her information on how to block subsequent texts and open an investigation.
Then, she was contacted by a local news reporter. A week after the story aired, she was notified by others (who had different carriers) of similar pornographic texts. Regardless of the specific carrier, she decided this presented a great opportunity to talk with parents, school officials and kids about how to handle inappropriate pictures and messages on any electronic device stating the following:
Here’s what parents need to know about porn: It’s addictive. It leads to early sexual activity. It is degrading. It’s the new drug we’re fighting. It is a money-making industry which depends on getting our kids addicted early. Many children, even as young as kindergarten, are being exposed to pornography due to the access to smartphones and tablets. It’s not just for boys. Girls are seeing it as a representation on how their bodies should look, so it becomes a body-image issue.
