Ashley Hunter
Greene Publishing, Inc.
The North Florida Community College Van H. Priest Auditorium seats 580 people, and nearly every one of the seats were filled with students from Madison County as they listened to Anti-bullying and sexting advocate Allyson Pereira on Friday, Aug. 26. Seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth graders from around the county gathered in the auditorium to listen to Pereira provide an account of her experiences, the experiences of others, and the dangers of sexting.
Pereira herself is a victim of sexting and bullying due to an unfortunate mistake that she made in her high school years when she sent a nude photo to her ex-boyfriend in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. In a matter of days, the photo had gone viral, with friends, classmates and teachers all viewing her photo.
Even though her face was not pictured, her reputation was ruined and her life forever changed.
Death threats and verbal abuse became a commonplace for Pereira at school; destruction and vandalism of her family's home became an aspect of life that Pereira lived with throughout her high school years, due to the photo she had sent. Teachers would make comments regarding the photo in the classroom, parents of her friends and classmates would ask her out on dates for the wrong reasons and later in life, Pereira’s bosses would tell her they were going to find the photo and rate it.
During the period after her family realized she had sent the photo, Pereira accounts that there was strife within their home until it all came crashing to an end when Pereira attempted suicide by drug overdose.
While her attempt did not succeed due to admitting to her parents what she had done in enough time to get medical attention, Pereira did mark that event as a turning point for herself and for her family. Following her suicide attempt, Pereira and her parents both received counseling, and according to Pereira, being able to talk to someone about her ordeal helped give her the strength to go on to find her own voice.
Pereira would later become the sexting spokesperson for her home state of New Jersey. When her scandal took place, Pereira could not bring the matter to the police, as she could be charged with creating and distributing child pornography, as Pereira was only 16 years old when she took the photo. Working alongside New Jersey assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt, Pereira helped New Jersey government add a sexting law so that teens who commit sexting can receive therapy, rather than be placed on a sex offender list.
To the students of Madison County, Pereira shared her story and the story of other victims as she outlined some of the ways that sexting can drastically change lives for the worse. Sexting can affect education; Pereira recounted that her dream had been to be a doctor, but after her scandal was made public, she skipped school and stopped doing homework, causing her grades to drop to a level that she would have never been able to attend the university of her dreams. Sexting can affect the ability to retain or find a job, as many employers don't want to hire someone with the background of a sex offender. If they are hired, they may face workplace harassment, as Pereira frequently did.
While Pereira has worked to see the national laws of sexting be changed, many sexting cases still depend on the prosecutor’s judgement as to whether or not the minor will be charged as a sex offender. It is illegal in both state and federal law to distribute an image that portrays a minor sexually. For a Florida juvenile who commits the criminal offense of sexting, the first offense is treated fairly gentle, such as a $60 fine or eight hours of community service. For a second offense, which becomes a first-degree misdemeanor, a juvenile faces more significant penalties, such as fines, probation, or placement in a juvenile detention facility. Minors commit the crime of sexting when they knowingly use any electronic device to distribute any image or video that depicts nudity or sexual conduct to another minor. It is also criminal if a minor receives and possesses an explicit image of a minor without taking reasonable steps to report the transmitted photo to a guardian, school official or law enforcement official.
Depending on the circumstances and ruling, a minor can be charged with having committed a non-criminal violation, a misdemeanor of the first degree, or a felony of the third-degree for sexting.
For those who are experiencing bullying, Pereira asks them to reach out to others for help. “Tell someone what is going on; you can’t handle it on your own,” said Pereira. She also asks those who may be taking part in bullying others to “take a step back,” as their actions could be the final push needed to lead their victim to a deadly choice.
Following her presentation, Pereira opened the floor to a question and answer session. Questions poured in, many asking about her experiences, as well as questions pertaining to her opinions on modern sexting, including the app Snapchat, which was originally marketed to teens as the 'safe' place to sext.
Pereira voiced her love of social media, and said that she has it on all platforms...but that no matter where it is done, sending explicit photos is dangerous. Sexting through Snapchat, an app that claims to delete the photos sent after a determined time limit, is only a placebo in safety. “Photos can still be screenshot and they are saved to an online database after being sent...so they are never really deleted,” said Pereira.
Pereira encouraged her audience, saying that while it was tough on her in high school and in college, things have gotten better. Pereira is currently married, and she and her husband have two daughters of their own. “I am living proof that is does get better,” said Pereira.
Pereira is a nationally recognized speaker, having been featured on MTV's Sexting in America, The View, Lifetime TV, CNN, Fox News and Dr. Drew, among other news and media sources.