Being a teenager is all about taking risks and testing boundaries, so it’s no surprise that many Creek students have sent or received nude photos at some point since the 8th grade.

“Most students probably start sending [nudes]  in middle school because they want to seem cool, hormones are raging, it makes sense,” senior Ivana Casillas said. “They’re not mature enough to have sex yet but sending nudes is easy.”

This may be the case for most Creek students, starting at a young age and carrying old habits into high school.

“We are finding that kids are starting to send nudes in middle school, not so much in high school.” said Counselor Lisa Geissler.

Studies are showing that most kids start sexting when they get access to camera-phones, which is now around the ages of 10-11 years old.

“Kids keep sending nudes because it’s fun and convenient,” sophomore Victor Stamenkovich said.

Psychology studies suggest that young teens send nudes because it’s new and “naughty.” It is the same science behind teens trying drugs.

“Kids send nudes to be rebellious,” junior Sarah Lytle said.

Teens enjoy the adrenaline rush of doing something they’re not supposed to do. Adrenaline produces dopamine, making teens happy and excited, so they continue to do it. However, like drugs, The New York Times is showing studies that say teen sexting may be linked to depression.

Many students argue that sending nudes in high school isn’t a big deal because so many teens are doing it, but also because high schoolers are doing “real stuff” now and sending nudes isn’t big compared to what most teens are doing.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a problem,” freshman Nick Corsi said. “I mean, I get that it’s child porn, but it’s not a big deal.”

Sending nude photos, or, sexting, is considered a felony for anyone who is under the age of 18.

“If we know of someone who is receiving pictures that are graphic in content, we will immediately send that situation to the SRO’s [Student Resource Officers] and let them handle it,” Dean Tom Doherty said.

And the SRO’s do not take it lightly.

“If any of the parties involved are under 18, it is automatically a felony and they can be charged as a sex-offender.” said SRO Josh Martinez.

Sending and receiving nudes is considered possession of child pornography and according to Colorado.gov and HB 17-1302, exchanging, posting, or possessing nude photos is a class 3 felony. If a student is caught sending nudes, they can be registered as a sex offender. Their name will appear on a registry for the rest of their lives and it can affect where you live and where you work in the future.

For students that do send nudes, they feel the risk is worth the reward.

“I think some kids send nudes for validation, because it feels nice when somebody else likes your body for what it is,” senior Omar Hussain said.

According to DoSomething.org, 34% of teen girls say they send nudes to feel sexy.

“That’s what they think they have to do to be liked,” sophomore Cheyenne Band said.

Whether Creek students are sending nudes for their own self-indulgent reasons, to fit in with friends or to be liked by their crushes, sending nude photos is a risk that students have to be willing to take.

“I wish that students realized the gravity of their choices,” Fine Arts teacher Michelle Scott said, “because in our technological age things never go away.”

“Kids send nudes because its a power move, they want to feel grown.” Hussain went on to say. “They’re goofs.”