Sixteen going on sexting
Realising its part of the responsibility, LG Mobile Phones has also gotten involved and recently launched a multi-faceted campaign to raises awareness about teeny bopper mobile phone misuse.
Earlier this year, LG launched a tool called LG DTXTR, which is supposed to help parents decode cryptic and possibly harmful text messages on their children's phones. And now the company has teamed up with James Lipton, host of Inside the Actors Studio in an ad campaign called "give it a ponder," meant to give teens a little added sense and SMS sensibility.
In a series of adverts, Lipton lends his beard to kids as they ‘ponder' the right thing to do. "The last thing he needs is tweets about his beets," says Lipton dryly in one ad as a teenage boy contemplates sending a naked locker room picture to his girlfriend.
"LG research shows that 1 in 5 teens have received a naked picture via text," said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing at LG Mobile Phones.
"That same proportion is unaware that state laws are emerging that classify this as a form of child pornography. Our campaign urges teens to pause and 'ponder' before playing a role in this behavior. Our goal is to build awareness and change the mindset around these seemingly harmless activities."
To help kids practice safe text, LG says it has already done some pondering itself, and will be coming out with some additional safety measures for teenage phone users in 2010.
"As the leading manufacturer of texting devices, LG is committed to creating a credible and impactful program that promotes responsible mobile phone use among young adults," concluded Rabbani.
