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LAUSD Rolls Out Campaign About Dangers Of 'Sexting'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With thousands of students returning to Los Angeles Unified School District campuses Tuesday, officials are preparing to teach about the dangers of "sexting."

Sexting, the practice of taking explicit pictures and sending them via text, is apparently so common now that it's hard to find a student not affected by it.

"When you send a nude or something, like a picture, it goes around everywhere, and then a lot of people see it," one student said.

It's what happened to 17-year-old Merlin Claros' close friend and she watched the devastating ripple effect of one nude picture.

"She didn't want to go to school anymore," Merlin said of her friend.

The district is rolling out a new campaign for students and parents called "Now Matters Later."

"We will have posters, which already have been vetted, brochures, information for parents and we're building lesson plans that will be dealt with inside the classrooms, as well as video for folks as well," a district official said.

The video will feature students whose lives have changed after just one "sexting" incident.

"Whether you are 18 or 12, its child porn, and we want to make sure those things don't affect you as you apply for college," district officials said.

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