News

Actions

Police investigate possible sexting scandal at Virginia Beach High School

Posted at 7:34 PM, Feb 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-05 19:34:14-05

Virginia Beach, Va. - A possible sexting scandal at a Virginia Beach High School is being investigated by police and it’s generating discussion about internet safety.

Your teens could be using an app designed to keep you from seeing what in in their phone.

Right now Virginia Beach Police are investigating a 17-year-old boy at Ocean Lakes High School.

According to a search warrant, he’s accused of receiving and sending nude photos of several female students.

Teens sexting is a problem in high schools throughout the country.

"Girls shouldn't be doing it anyways and guys didn't have the right to send it off to other people,” said Lydia Williams, a senior at Ocean Lakes High School

And according to the search warrant, the pictures were being hidden in an app that looks like a calculator.

It's called Calculator%.  It looks like something used in math class, but it's really a place to hide pictures.

"I would just use it for funny pictures and stuff,” said Williams.

Williams said she got rid of the app but has used it in the past along with many of her friends. ​

"They would put pictures that they didn't want anyone else to see," said Williams.

In an effort to combat problems with teens and social media, the Virginia Beach School district just launched a new campaign called, "Be Social. Be Smart. Be Safe".

The goal is to get more kids to practice responsible behavior online and make young people realize what they put on the internet can't be deleted.

"More conscious about what we're sending and who we are sending it to," Mercedes Kraute, a senior at Ocean Lakes said, "My mom has always taught me to make sure everything is on private and not to post anything that I would regret seeing."

The school district wouldn’t comment on the case directly involving the alleged naked pictures being sent around but said distribution of inappropriate photos/materials on school property would be a violation of theCode of Student Conduct.

The Commonwealth’s attorney says it’s an open investigation and no one has been arrested.

"It is a big issue and you can get in trouble for stuff like that, something to take seriously,” said Kraute.