Solution: Tell your kids they get a basic $50 Nokia until they can buy their own cell phone. No camera, no color screen, no worries. Just works.

Seriously, why do pre-teens (or even teens) need $500+ internet-enabled, 5mp camera totting smart-phones? Certainly not for safety reasons. Anyone ever own a basic Nokia? Those things are rock solid. Awesome reception, battery life and sound quality (both ways). They're pretty boring, but man are they GREAT phones. I've owned a great number of really expensive cell phones (who else is addicted to "trading-up"?) over the years but none of them were as good as a basic $50 Nokia when it comes to being a good phone. I keep one as a backup in case my rediculous internet-enabled, touch screen, handwriting recognition smart-phone with more features than I will ever need/use takes a dump (which they tend to do fairly readily unless you baby them).

Stupid teens.  Telling them not to do this isn't something that parents should teach to kids; it is common sense.  Don't get your kid a cellphone with picture capability if you really are afriad of this happening.  But on the same line of logic, don't get them cameras with flash memory.  They could upload it to the internet from there.  I really think these steps aren't needed though.  Your kid should know better.  Somehow I think this is grossly exaggerated.  Most teens don't do this out of courtship behaviour.  I was in high school just 23 months ago and none of this went down except the occassional boy sending pics of his parts to another as a very cruel prank.  That is bad behaviour in itself, but really as a problem society and even parents have bigger fish to fry.

While I think that NO ONE should be using phones for this reason (i.e. throwing around naked pictures of themselves... that is what the internet is for), I still don't know how big the 'problem' is.

I came out of HS 2.5 yrs ago, was never a problem there... you would think it would also be prevalent in college life since the same BS sticks around with some crowds, and i've yet to see it around. I'm doubt its a national epidemic, but I do agree its a little much.

Talk about using technology to its fullest potential... why is there always naked people on every new piece of technology we make!? (books/magazines,tvs,internet,phones...)

I agree with LovelyCrap, but as a single adult I sort of like getting flicks sent to my phone when my girlfriend is in the mood.. ;)

I really hope this isn't the reason my teenage son asked me to either buy him a 5MP phone or a digital camera. I did bought him the camera and I haven't seen any pictures...

I am the father of 6   This whole thing makes me 

I don't have kids so I can't sa I understand, but wow. That's a great way to get embarrassed by the hole school. Tell them about that.

Im with digitaldd on this one. ;)

it makes for some fun times.