Jada, a Houston-area 16-year-old, was
getting ready for finals week and looking
forward to a summer hanging out with
friends and finding a job.
On June 1, she went to a friend of a friend's
house party. She recalls little of what went
on that evening, she told CNN, but does
remember passing out and waking up the
next morning at another friend's house with
her clothing askew.
Weeks later, she received text messages
showing photos of her unconscious and
undressed that appeared to have been
taken at the party. Soon, those photos
spread on social media, with Twitter users
mimicking her passed-out pose and
adding the hashtag #jadapose.
Jada and her mother filed a police report
about the incident June 22.
"It is an active investigation," said Jodi
Silva, a spokeswoman for the Houston
Police Department. "We're following up on
leads that have been given to us. We don't
want to rush the investigation, because
there are many facets to it."
In light of the photos and humiliating #
jadapose meme, Jada might have chosen
to hide in shame. But in a time when all
aspects of teen life have moved from
private to public forums, something unique
happened: She took hold of the story.
Jada chose to show her face with the
support of her mother, Sukiedia. (The
family has not used their last name in
interviews.)
The teen began speaking to local and
national media about the incident and took
a photo with the hashtag #iamjada to
reveal the real person behind the viral
photos.
"There's no point in hiding," she told a
Houston television station. "Everybody has
already seen my face and my body, but
that's not what I am and who I am."
CNN does not normally identify victims of
sexual assault but is doing so in this case
because the alleged victim is speaking out.
Jada isn't the only alleged assault victim
moving to reclaim her name and image.
In 2013, Missouri teen Daisy Coleman
spoke publicly with the support of her
mother after claiming that she was raped
by a popular member of her school's
football team.
Last spring, a young woman took to Twitter
to ask rape victims to share what they were
wearing when they were assaulted, to
knock down the assumption that their attire
"asked for it." It led to a discussion on
Twitter with the hashtag #
RapeHasNoUniform.
"With the case of Jada, the very technology
that was used to make matters worse was
used to improve matters," said Stephen
Balkam, who has a teenage daughter and
is CEO of the Family Online Safety
Institute.
In the past week, as word spread about the
#jadapose meme, messages of support
have poured in.
"Rape isn't funny," one post says.
Social media users are adopting the #
IamJada hashtag and posting photos of
themselves with a fist raised in solidarity.
"This could be you, me, or any woman or
girl that we know. What do we plan to do
about this ugly epidemic? #justiceforjada,"
actress Jada Pinkett Smith wrote on her
Facebook page.
Even as public support for Jada is
swelling, it's clear that online abuse isn't
going away anytime soon.
"Teens need to understand that their
online behavior has lasting and permanent
impacts," Jim Steyer, a father of four and
CEO of Common Sense Media, wrote in
an e-mail.
A 2011 Pew study found that 88 percent of
social media-using teens reported that they
have seen someone being mean to
another person on a social network, and
15 percent of teens using social media
reported being harassed.
More teens are pushing back at this meme-
ification of violence by speaking up and
creating communities of kindness. But it
can sometimes be a trickier path for
parents to navigate, experts say.
"Being proactive in our kids' online lives is
key," Steyer wrote. "It's not just about
turning off devices or encouraging
responsible use. It's about creating a
culture of empathy. It's about knowing what
to say and do when your kid is at risk,
monitoring (without spying), and knowing
the difference between bullying and
behavior that is 'kids being kids.' "
When online abuse goes viral, it doesn't
mean the pain is virtual -- and the solution
isn't one size fits all.
Danah Boyd writes about the importance
of nuance in addressing online bullying in
her book "It's Complicated: The Social
Lives of Networked Teens."
"Blaming technology or assuming that
conflict will disappear if technology usage
is minimized is naive," she writes.
"Recognizing where teens are at and why
they engage in particular acts of meanness
and cruelty is important to creating
interventions that work."
But parents don't have to do it alone.
Resources on A Platform for Good can
help guide conversations with teens about
their digital reputation. Common Sense
Media works with schools across America
teaching the K-12 Digital Literacy and
Citizenship curriculum. MTV's A Thin Line
campaign aims to stop the spread of digital
abuse. And author MacKenzie Bezos
started the Bystander Revolution, which
offers simple ideas to encourage kindness
and defuse bullying.
Having a dialogue with kids around
acceptable online behavior can begin by
talking about events in the news, such as #
iamJada, or at school. That starts with
teaching kids empathy and accountability.
Parents "should encourage their kids to be
up-standers and not bystanders when they
see something as negative as what was
happening to Jada," Balkam said.
Speaking up may not be easy, he adds,
but it's worthwhile, whether you're a
bystander or a victim of abuse.
As for Jada, supporters are calling her
"brave" and a "hero." And she is beginning
to feel like one.
"Yes, I feel like a heroine, because it takes
courage to speak out and show your face, "
she said.
Source---- www.m.ktuu.com/lifestyle/how-a-teen-turned-online-abuse-around/27024514

Fine girl!!!

Immediately i saw, party,passed out, jada. I knew it had to be an african american.