PLUS: Lesbian teen sues to reinstate canceled prom, atheists trade porn for Bibles, more

Selling ‘Sexts’ — An eighth-grade boy from Massachusetts may face child pornography charges after he sold nude pictures of his girlfriend for $5 apiece. The girl, also in eighth grade, took the pictures herself and sent them to her boyfriend via her cell phone—an all-too-common practice that’s become known as “sexting.” About one of every five youth admit to having sent or received risqué photos via text, and sometimes these photos can spread far beyond their intended scope. But it’s rare that a recipient would sell photos to his friends. And, because money apparently changed hands over these underage photos, the consequences could be quite severe. “Technology used for the wrong purpose can be dangerous and potentially illegal,” said George Entwistle, superintendent for the school the two eighth-graders attend. (New York Daily News)

All Dressed Up … — A Mississippi girl wants to escort her girlfriend to prom in a tux, and she’s suing her school district to make it happen. Several weeks ago the girl, 18-year-old Constance McMillen, asked the Itawamba County Board of Education to reverse its prohibition against same-sex couples going to prom together. The request was accompanied by a threat that, if it didn’t, she and the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi would file suit. McMillen gave the board until March 10 to make up its mind. On March 10, the board did just that—canceling prom altogether. In a statement, the board expressed its desire that, perhaps, someone in the community could craft a private event in lieu of prom. A day later, McMillen—again with help from the ACLU—filed suit to force the district to reinstate prom. “Constance is just a courageous person,” said Christine Sun, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBT Project. “Certainly it’s not easy for her. The school ha put her in an extremely difficult position, unfairly.” (ABC News)

Atheists for XXX — The Atheist Agenda, a student-run group at the University of Texas-San Antonio, traded Bibles for pornography earlier this month as part of its “Smut for Smut” drive. Members of the atheist group believe that the Bible and other religious texts are worse than pornography, believing religion is the source of most of the world’s ills. But it also serves as a bold discussion starter and a drive to draw new members. “It’s an icebreaker to get people talking about these things,” said 18-year-old Bradley Lewis, who plans to join the group. (San Antonio Express-News)

Planning Ahead — Some youth don’t really have an idea of what they want to do until they get well into college—and even then, many are a bit fuzzy. But students at Linwood (N.J.) Middle School are already charting out their future, starting in sixth grade. The students all craft individualized student learning plans, which help chart their academic course throughout the rest of their time in the public school system. This doesn’t mean, of course, that students can’t alter that course as time goes on. But it does help ensure that children get a better handle on their own strengths and weaknesses, and lesson plans can be tweaked a bit to capitalize on how each student learns best. It’s all part of an effort to increase test scores and student achievement, education experts say. “Principals like it because it’s low cost,” said Dick Flanary, a senior director with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “It doesn’t require a huge outlay of money and resources to produce a change in the school culture.” (New York Times)

More Youth Culture Updates:
YCU: Violent Games Increase Aggression — Some
YCU: Drug Use Link to Lack of Sleep
YCU: Young Adults Not In Church
YCU: Teen Boys Lie About Sex
YCU: Teens picky about Internet