It is very telling that the word “sexting” is not listed in the Merriman-Webster or American Heritage dictionaries. So where can you find a definition for this word that appears on television news programs and in newspapers and magazines? Wikipedia, of course. And that is perfectly apt, because “sexting” is a word born of the Internet.

Sexting - a combination of sex and text - is “the act of sending sexually explicit photographs and messages primarily between cell phones.” And for teen-agers, who don’t think twice about whipping our their phones, taking nude pictures of themselves, and sending those pictures to friends and boyfriends or girlfriends, it is an act rife with serious emotional and legal consequences.

Why do teens sext? Most often taking nude pictures of themselves is nothing more than teens having “innocent” fun – acting without thinking beyond the moment. A bunch of girls at a sleepover take topless pictures of each other and then send them from cellphone to cellphone. What could the problem be? Or sexting can be an intimate sharing between girlfriend and boyfriend. A special “something” of each other for them to have that no one else will see. How could that be bad?

But it can be bad – very bad. The extreme of the emotional consequences came to national attention in 2008 when Jesse Logan, a high school student in Cincinnati, Ohio committed suicide. Jesse had sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend and when they broke up he sent them to several girls in their school. Those girls then sent them on to many, many others. What had started out as that intimate sharing between boyfriend and girlfriend turned into revenge and abuse. Jesse was harassed; she was called a slut and a whore. Going to school became intolerable. She skipped classes; her grades fell. She asked school officials for help; she received none. In May, 2008 Jesse went on local television (she was hidden and her voice was disguised) to warn others about the dangers of sexting. Two months later she committed suicide.

While Jesse’s story brought attention to sexting, it did nothing to stop it. A 2010 digital abuse study by the Associated Press and MTV found that nearly 25 percent of teens have sent nude photos via cell phones and computers. Girls are more likely to take and send sexually explicit pictures of themselves. Very few of those teens realize the jeopardy they are putting themselves in. Few understand that sending nude pictures of a person under 18 years of age is a felony, which can lead to time in jail and registering as a sex offender. That applies even if the sender is the subject of the picture.

After several cases in which teens as young as 15 were charged with crimes clearly intended for adults, 20 states have adopted laws that deal directly with sexting by minors. In those cases offenders can be charged with a range of penalties from a summary charge similar to a traffic ticket to a felony.

Schools have also set up penalties for students found to be sexting. Those charges often include suspension, which will remain on the students’ permanent record.

What teens also don’t consider is that once the pictures and sexual messages are sent, they are “out there” - they can go anywhere, to anyone and they won’t go away. So that “innocent” picture, or that love note between boyfriend and girlfriend can fall into the hands of anyone from a college admissions’ administrator to a child pornographer or predator. Nothing is safe in cyberspace.

So it is imperative for parents to make their children aware of the hazards of sexting and the necessity of thinking about the consequences of their actions. Teens should know that if they receive a sexually explicit photo or message, they should never send it on to anyone ; they should report it to a trusted adult before they delete it. Then they won’t be part of the circle of offenders.

All teens should know never to take pictures of themselves that they wouldn’t want their parents, grandparents, and teachers to see. That way they will be spared the embarrassment, humiliation, unbearable emotional turmoil, and serious legal repercussions that are the consequences of sexting.

guest blogger Susan Eikov Green is the author of Don’t Pick On Me: Help For Kid To Stand Up To & Deal With Bullies.