Police worried about explicit social media sites for teens

A new generation of social media sites that encourage explicit and sometimes pornographic distribution among teens has police worried.

Teens are using websites including Ask.fm which gets people to ask each other anonymous questions. Another site, KiK, is a messaging app known for its pornographic content.

The messaging can turn from innocent to explicit in an instant.

"I think it's just a way for people to bully really,” said Andre Sautiere, a Halifax teenager.

RCMP said they are called at least once a week to investigate cyberbullying, sometimes even nude photos.

Const. Sandra McNaughten, school liaison in the Lower Sackville area, said young people don’t realize how far photos on the Internet can spread.

"They're not just between friends. They can be forwarded. They last forever. Just because someone deletes it doesn't mean that it's gone."

McNaughten said having a rule between parents and teens that there is no privacy is a parent’s right.

"Those are hard rules to follow. It will cause some fights but being harsh in having those rules are probably a benefit.”