Modern Romance: From kissing to "sexting," today's hook-up culture
is changing how teens think about relationships

What may seem like a moment of daring can have lasting consequences. "The Internet and cell phones have an illusion of anonymity and privacy," Rich says. "But how will a naked picture on the Web look when you apply to college?" Across the country, teenage "sexters" are making headlines after their photos circulated beyond their intended recipients, prompting police investigations. Legally speaking, if you send or receive a nude image of a minor, you can be charged with distributing child pornography. "There's a perceived safety online, but you have no idea whose hands the photo might end up in: his friends', your parents', the police's," says Carol Weston, author of Girltalk: All the Stuff Your Sister Never Told You (HarperCollins). "You could break up, and that image will still be out there."