Q. You object to the term "sexting." Why?
A. As a catchall phrase, it's fine. But when you use a blanketterm like that, it conjures up different ideas about what kind ofbehavior you mean. We might start by asking kids what sexting meansto them. But we're most interested in specific behaviors and whatthey think is behind them. For example, 16-year-old boys in a lockerroom doing something stupid is very different from serious bullyingbehavior.
Q. What methodology are you using?
A. We're holding focus groups with kids, parents, schooladministrators, and other concerned adults. We want everybody'sperspective, how different groups think and talk about the problem.
Q. Fair to assume that teens think and talk about sextingdifferently from adults?
A. Sure, but we also want to find areas of commonality. Somebelieve that kids do stupid things and our job is to stop them.Others argue that we struggle with this only because it's about sexand kids. To me, it's probably some of both. Now, how do we injectsome reason into the discussion?
Q. Some may dismiss sexting as relatively harmless behavior, butyoung lives are getting ruined, aren't they?
A. Absolutely. The idea is to recalibrate laws so we balancebetween intervening where there's potentially serious criminalactivity - like commercial interest or sexual extortion - andputting kids in an Internet safety or gender sensitivity programfirst.
Q. Statistics on teen sexting run from 15 percent to 33 percentor higher. What figures do you use?
A. Again, it depends on the definition. What struck me about onesurvey was how common a dating practice this is among the 20-25 agegroup. If this is normative behavior for young adults, and teens dothings at an earlier age than their parents would like, it makessense they're behaving like this at 16 rather than 19.
Q. Do you see a double standard applied to girls and boys?
A. Kids know that when a boy sends something unsolicited to agirl it's received very differently from a girl sending it to a boy.As a parent, I know that if my teenage daughter got an explicitpicture from a boy, she'd be grossed out. But a boy getting onemight be sharing it with his friends. We need that contextualperspective.
Q. Brett Favre sexting a team employee, Megan Fox in acellphone ad with a sexting subtext: Your reaction?
A. They just reflect what's happening in the popular culture. Iffamous people are doing it, then it looks like normative behavior.
Q. Where are we headed in terms of policy?
A. We tend to make decisions based on what seems to feel right,and not what the evidence necessarily says will make us safer.Ideally, I'm hoping we focus on good home environments, consistentmessages from schools, and everyone working to promote healthypsychosocial development.
Q. Suppose school administrators say they have no funds for neweducation programs?
A. I don't think it's about additional resources. It's aboutembedding this stuff in existing curriculums. Not necessarily doingmore but doing things better.
Q. Are you worried about policy issues getting politicized?
A. We know the federal government's interested in this issuebecause it concerns sex and kids. We have to take into account thatmoralistic perspective. Still, the key is presentation and knowingthe stakeholders. When it comes to sex offenders, for instance, I'vebecome much more moderate over the years.
Q. How so?
A. Take registration and notification laws. There's not muchevidence they make us a lot safer. Still, I've come to realizethere's power in symbolism. If the public feels safer, that's alegitimate policy goal.
Q. You're the parent of teenagers. What advice do you have forother parents?
A. I ask my kids about programs they've had in school, like anti-bullying. How are they processing the information? You can't beafraid to talk to them about the real dangers out there, or pretendthe schools alone are handling this.
Interview was condensed and edited. Joseph P. Kahn can be reachedat jkahn@globe.com.
...
WHO
... Andrew Harris
... WHAT
... An assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology atUMass-Lowell, Harris heads a team gathering data on "sexting," thesending of sexually explicit messages or photographs via cellphoneor other devices. Their goal is to help formulate public policy onan issue that has parents and educators concerned - and teensvulnerable to criminal prosecution. Funded by a US JusticeDepartment grant, Harris's team will deliver its final report nextyear.
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