I read the article about sexting, and it also said that even teens who send explicit pictures of themselves could be charged with child pornography.

I have teens and I will do some checking to see who they've talked to. I guess I need to check their picture file too. While technology has its advantages it also has some risks that I don't think our children (or us) are ready for.

I have two middle schoolers and no cell phones for them. They say they are the only kids in the universe their age with no cell phones, so I told them if that's the case, then there should always be one handy to borrow! Seriously, I have no issue with people doing what works for their family, and I'll absolutely admit that there have been MOMENTS when one may have come in handy, but as a rule, they are always with responsible adults who have access to phones in an emergency. So I'm putting this one off as long as I can.

One of my son's friends seems to think texting someone four times in a row with the word "HI" is a cool thing to do with his cell phone. My husband and I calmly explained to our son that he would lose his cell phone if he did that himself. However, this texting offense pales in comparison to texting a nude photo to someone.
While I did not explain the details of the texting offense at Salem Middle to my son, I did tell him I read an article involving the Salem Middle students' use of their cell phones and that the school had to get involved. I also explained to him that if he abused his cell phone privileges he would most certainly lose his phone. So I think this can be used as a teaching opportunity for those of us who have allowed their children the use of a cell phone.
I certainly respect those parents who have chosen not to provide their middle schooler with a cell phone. However, our society is not as safe as it was when our generation was in middle school. It appears middle and high school crime is on the rise. (See http://www.newsobserver.com/138/story/1415646.html and http://www.newsobserver.com/news/orange/story/1344743.html for just two local examples.) That was the main reason my husband and I provided our son with a cell phone.We also feel this is a good way to encourage and teach responsibility.
I hope parents who have provided their children with cell phones are taking the time to educate their children about how to use their cell phones responsibly. It appears some are not.

Elizabeth Shugg 
Triangle TRACKS - Tools, Resources & Activities for Carolina KidS
www.triangletracks.com
epshugg@triangletracks.com

lilybug, love your idea of not giving middle schoolers a cellphone. NPR had a great piece on the radio yesterday about a parent facing lawsuits from her teenager sexting. Kids will be kids, cellphones do still exist without cameras and picture sending capabilities and even without texting (unbelieveable!) if one is only after the safety of their child having a phone. It still amuses me to witness the wars that exist over parents and their teens cellphones. Major battles of punishment, privileges, etc. -- always with drama, ill feeling, and fight for control and manipulation. Who would have thought that a phone would incite such family discord and parental battles. silly. The rudeness with which teens use their cellphone to talk to peers, strangers, and their parents, is unsurpassed by other forms of communication. Not sure why.

It's funny because not only does my daughter have to deal with peer pressure about the phone, but so do I. I've had a number of parents try to convince me that she needs one. While I respect other parents' decisions about phones-our children are functioning just fine without them-which apparently seems to annnoy other parents to no end:-).

Lilybug, as a teacher and a parent, I agree with you. Kids do not need a cell phone while in school. Schools have courtesy phones they can use if need be. I have had to invalidate state exams due to a parent calling their child on a cell phone and disrupting the class. It also happens during the school day that a parent might call and the child is given detention since they are the ones responsible for keeping the phones in their lockers. Parents need to measure the child’s maturity before making this decision. You know your child. Will he remember to put that cell phone in the locker? Will it get stolen? School personnel have enough to do without having to worry about cell phones as well.