Policy and curriculum recommendations for student cell phone use

The phenomenon that prompted this study was the increasing number of teens with cell phones and the issues, both legal and nonlegal, that permeate to schools. The trend among teens called teen sexting is receiving national and local attention. Sexting typically involves teens using texts to send cellular messages that may include naked photographs or shared videos containing sexual content. This study reviewed 4 main issues (a) the policies for student use of cell phones on campus to regulate teen sexting issues, (b) whether teen sexting awareness and prevention curriculum is being implemented, (c) the extent to which teen sexting is perceived as a problem by school leaders on campus, and (d) the degree to which there is a need for curriculum about teen sexting awareness and prevention. School district policies for student cell phone regulation were accessed online and their content analyzed. The search for curriculum was done through telephone calls to school district curriculum and instruction department leaders. Questionnaires were administered to principals, assistant principals, school counselors, and school security leaders. Their responses provided data for the study of leadership perceptions on the sexting issue. The purpose of this study was to present the research findings and provide recommendations for cell phone policy and suggest the development of effective curriculum about cell phone safety. The findings of this research showed that school district policy considers teen sexting as a student offence of a sexual nature using electronic devices for bullying, intimidation, threats, harassment, and defamation. Currently, there is limited curriculum for teen sexting awareness programs in Arizona schools. Few incidents of teen sexting get reported to school leaders; however, when they do, the consequences for teen sexters are both legal and nonlegal. The results of this study provide insight for schools leaders and school policy makers regarding issues and response options for student cell phone use, specifically teen sexting issues, and suggest the direction school administrators should take in creating effective teen sexting awareness curriculum for students.