KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, SportsSexual harassment takes a new form for teenagers

Sexual harassment takes a new form for teenagers

By: Michelle Langowski
NewsChannel 10

Amarillo, TX - Cell phones are the tool of a new form of harassment occurring in Amarillo high schools. And although sexting continues to affect teenagers, it is textual harassment that is causing concern.

One in three teenagers in Amarillo are reporting they have experienced textual harassment in some form.

Sexting was the topic today as Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott spoke out in honor of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month.

"It is very important teens understand it is inappropriate and potentially illegal for them to take a picture of themselves that involves any sort of sexual innuendo and transmit that by way of telephone."

But Family Support Services in Amarillo is seeing a new trend in the classroom....

"The sexting is becoming so popular in the media, that people are starting to back off in that area, but the textual harassment is one thing the teens, even at our presentation recently are starting to speak more about. That it's becoming a bigger issue and it hasn't really been addressed yet," said Sexual Assault Specialist, Ashley Lasher.

Lasher says textual harassment could become an even bigger issue than sexting because teens are not wanting to tell people this is happening.

She warns, like most controlling situations, the questions will start out small and become more intense.

"Teens are out crying that it feels like they're trapped, that having their cell phone with them is trapping them because their partners always want to know what they are doing, who they are with, where they are at."

Lasher says some teens are telling her they receive more than 30 text messages in a row from their partner.

Parents are encouraged to monitor their teenager's text messages.