Gordon Clay here. Schools back in session, and it's time to start paying attention to the changes that that brings on in our community. The usual messages about driving carefully, wearing helmets when biking or skate boarding, having a nutritional breakfast and lunch, getting involved in after-school activities, talking to your kids about peer pressure, your concerns about experimenting with drugs, alcohol, and smoking, how to deal with bullying, and, if you child has a cell phone, the dangers of sexting.

That's right, sexting. The act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones.

You say, "My child would never sext." Are you sure? National surveys say teens believe their parents are clueless and 40% tell their parents very little or nothing about what they do online.

One national survey showed that 22% of teenage girls have sexted their own picture and 6% said they began at age 9. The risk is having one's private pictures distributed among schoolmates. It's been termed a "Cyber Tattoo" and it can stick with you for the rest of your life.

But that's only part of it. It could lead to a criminal conviction as a sex offender for any teenager who forwards such a photo to someone else. A third of boys and a quarter of girls said they had had nude or seminude images, originally meant to be private, shared with them.

Not only could these images end up in the hands of pedophile groups and place kids at higher risk of being targeted, but they could also be subject to extortion.

You taught your kids about crossing a street safely. At least make them aware of the dangers and consequences sexting. Tune in September 17th for Part II on Sexting.