PERVASIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR ASM

How do these online behaviors affect students and their vulnerability to adult sexual misconduct (ASM)? The Prevention Institute (2009) pointed out that the pervasiveness of technology in social life limits opportunities for children to learn and practice establishing healthy boundaries among their peers and with adults. Technology has shifted the boundaries between public and private, and many people now share what used to be private information (e.g., personal photographs, travel, reactions to daily events, and opinions on a range of topics) publicly on cell phones and the Internet. This means that students and educators who have grown up with pervasive technology seem to have different ideas of privacy, which may put them at risk (Prevention Institute, 2009).

Some teachers and other school employees have used communications technologies — texting, email, and social media sites — to foster inappropriate relationships with students and perpetrate ASM (Maxwell, 2007). The round-the-clock nature of digital technology, combined with the fact that most teens have their own cell phones, means that perpetrators can easily pursue students before, during, and after school, and often outside the view of their parents and teachers There have been cases in which teachers have been jailed for sexually abusing or assaulting a student in a relationship that began through electronic communications (Preston, 2011). In addition, three students from Oregon received a financial settlement in 2015 after suing the Clatskanie School District when administrators failed to respond as required by law when the girls reported that they had been victimized by fellow students in the form of sextortion (Washington State House Republican Communications, 2013).

ASM Perpetrators Leave Digital Trails
When school staff members use electronic communications and/or the Web to interact inappropriately with students, the digital trail left — e-mail correspondence, cell phone records, and internet communication logs — can provide valuable evidence for investigators of ASM allegations (Maxwell, 2007). For example, the text messages sent by a school counselor to a 15-year-old student to arrange meetings for sexual encounters provided evidence for a New Jersey lawsuit. Electronic evidence is a game changer for ASM investigations, because it may substantiate (or refute) allegations when there are no direct witnesses or students are ambivalent about making a complaint. Whereas many cases in the past were one person’s word against another person’s, electronic trails may provide solid proof of inappropriate interactions (Maxwell, 2007). Such evidence can help both state and education authorities who must weigh whether to revoke an educator’s license and law enforcement authorities who may prosecute an offender (Maxwell, 2007).
In a recent case in Alabama, members of the internet community prompted an investigation into an allegedly inappropriate relationship between a high school teacher and student. They were alarmed when a picture of an adult man and young girl — which was not provocative — was posted on an anonymous forum with the caption “photos that shouldn’t be posted.” Members of the online community took it upon themselves to search online for more information and pictures, quickly discovering that the man was a high school teacher. He had posted more than 700 photographs with the student in an unprotected online album, which had been taken over a lengthy period of time and seemed to indicate an inappropriate relationship. Some individuals called the posting and other relevant information to the attention of local law enforcement for investigation (WIVB.com, 2015).

Communications technologies also present new “gray areas” — that is, behaviors that are questionable but not criminal in nature. Many of these gray areas are related to the behaviors of school personnel on personal social media platforms. For this reason, it is important for everyone in the school community to be aware of how easily today’s technology allows for the production and distribution of sexually exploitative images.

Unfortunately, billions of dollars are generated from the distribution of images of child sexual abuse, and the production of child pornography is one component of internet-initiated sex crimes (Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell, and Ybarra, 2008). Research suggests that more than half of those arrested for possession of child pornography also have attempted or perpetrated sexual abuse (National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation [NCPCSAE], 2012). It is common for perpetrators to persuade young people to take inappropriate photos of themselves or other minors for the purpose of sextortion and other forms of child exploitation. ASM prevention training with students should stress that students carefully consider any images they send or post. Furthermore, schools and school districts should consider implementing photo consent release form policies that require the school and students to notify their parents and/or school officials if an adult asks them for pictures or videos of any kind, whether appropriate or inappropriate (REMS TA Center, 2016).

Technology Facilitates the Production and Distribution of Sexually Exploitive Images
It is important for everyone in the school community to understand that the Internet and digital technologies makes access to and production of sexually exploitive images — including those involving children and teens — incredibly easy (NCPCSAE, 2012). A case involving a sixth-grade teacher who used students as models to make child pornography highlights the need for awareness and addressing the issue in training (Maxwell, 2007). Billions of dollars are generated by images of child sexual abuse, and the production of child pornography is one component of internet-initiated sex crimes (Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell, and Ybarra, 2008). Research suggests that more than half of those arrested for possession of child pornography have also attempted or perpetrated sexual abuse (NCPCSAE, 2012). It is common for those who perpetrate sex offenses against youths through the Internet to persuade young people to create such images of themselves or other minors, which can be deemed as child pornography under current laws (NCPCSAE, 2012). This is why student education must stress the need for young people to think very carefully about any images they send or post and to notify their parents and school officials if an adult asks them for inappropriate pictures or videos (Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell, and Ybarra, 2008).