Should I be worried?

[legendia]

I do not know what to do. I have made a grave mistake. I met a boy of 15 years on a chat forum and we talked a bit before moving onto Kik, which is a messenger application, I am 20 years old and I was merely joking around. I pretended to be gay and the boy sent a picture of himself and his penis to me then I, stupidly and regretfully, sent a picture of my own penis to him but not my face.

He then said that he lived in the same country as me, I panicked and told him that I was straight and I did not want to continue this. Up to this point I thought that we were merely roleplaying and it would not amount to anything serious, it was a serious lapse in judgement and I did not know what happened until it was too late. He then threatened to go to the police and I begged him not to, eventually he said that he was joking about the threat when I asked him about it. He also said that he did not live in the same country I usually live in when I said that I lived overseas therefore I am assuming that we live in two different countries.

I told him that I would forget everything that has happened and he agreed. He said that he would delete the conversation and the picture I sent him provided I did the same, which I complied without hesitation, however now I am worried if he kept to his end of the bargain. Should I be worried that this will come back to bite me? I have learned my lesson and never in my life have I ever suffered such a serious lapse in judgement.

He also warned me that I better delete everything because his father is CIA and that he could track me down. I am not sure if this is true or not, but I have deleted everything. But will he keep to his end of the bargain? What should I do? Should I tell my parents? I am afraid that my parents would react badly to what I have done, I know I did a horrible thing but at the same they should know what happen so they can be prepared. Do you think I am over-reacting to this?

 

[Lost_Sheep]

Go to confession, then move on and put it all behind you. And be careful who you chat with from now on.

 

[MJJean]

So you were playing games on the internet with a child, received a picture of the child’s genitals, sent this child a picture of your genitals all while pretending to be gay…

Yes, you should be worried. What you did is not only immoral, it is illegal. Cruelly playing with a young persons emotions and sharing pornographic pictures is much, much, more than a “lapse in judgement”.

Not only is it possible the child kept the picture, it is also possible he shared it with every internet contact he knows. Beyond that, he could decide to turn you in to police or his parents could discover the picture and chat log and turn you in themselves. Of course, if he did share the picture with friends, those kids or their parents could turn it in to the police and the police could easily trace it back to you. If you get arrested it is nothing more or less than you deserve and you’ll have to be accountable for your actions.

Once you share something online or via text messaging it is out there forever and you are at the mercy of the person or people you shared it with. At this point all you can do is confess to your priest, pray, and never, ever, ever, ever do something like that again.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

First of all, you need to experience the depths of God’s mercy for you. This means that you need to confess fully to a priest, and possibly talk to someone else whom you trust about it – although your parents wouldn’t necessarily be the call.

Second, your description of events strikes me as unlikely. In my own personal experience confessing things that I have done, I often try to “tone it down” when I describe it, and give excuses for myself. I’m not saying you are doing this here, but it’s possible. So let me say that – if you actually sought out this interaction intentionally, out of sexual interest, God would *still *forgive you and wait for you to return to Him with open arms. But, in that case, you have to seek out help in a much more comprehensive way, and you would have to face up to some very uncomfortable facts about yourself.

Finally, should you be worried? No. God will take care of you. It is probably somewhat unlikely that you would get arrested, but even if you did get arrested, God would still take care of you, so long as you turn to Him. Do not let yourself be controlled by fear, since fear is a tool the devil uses to push us back into sin.

God bless you!

 

[Lasting_faith]

You sure need to confess that one. I will not judge you, no. That is not up to me, but what you did was stupid, utterly stupid. Where did you hang your brains when you did that?

I am not a expert, in fact, I hope someone who work with computers could say if it is possible to trace and track someone thru the IP-number. But I can’t see how he would be able to even find your IP, but again, someone else will have to answer that. So much I know it that it will not lead anyone to your front door.

And, keep your pants on, that way he will not identify you. But to be serius, stay away from those web-sites, and next time, and I hope there will not be a next time, think, think and think before you do something this stupid.

 

[mountee]

Yes, you should possibly be concerned as people do get arrested for what you have done. The law enforcement agencies regularly participate on these forums to catch and prosecute people doing what you have done, an adult interacting online sexually with a minor. However, now is the time to straighten up and get yourself right with God and move on ready to let God forgive you and take care of you. Like everyone does over their life you made a grave mistake so head to confession. Then, pray very hard for your impulses to be controlled as these actions were extremely impulsive and I assure you will eventually cause you great trouble if you don’t get them under control. Please stay off of these sites as you can see how quickly they can get you in trouble, and remember, once you do it on the Internet it is permanent. I will pray for you too.

Memorare

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

 

[legendia]

Thank you to everyone who responded. I acknowledge how much of a mistake I have made, I would ask that all of you please pray for me. Pray that this incident passes without any significant consequences, the guilt and self-loathing in me is already punishment enough. I would like to say that I had never done anything of this sort before in my life, I will pray to God to help me and forgive me. I would like to please ask all of you to pray for me.