The Nebraska Coaches Association spent an hour listening to a Lincoln attorney at its annual clinic; but the topic wasn't about sports.

"The data shows that between 25% and 30% of students under the age of 19 have been engaged in sexting," said Karen Haase, a lawyer with a the Harding and Schultz law firm in Lincoln. "When I do presentations in area schools about half the kids raise their hands when I ask them if they've ever sent or received explicit material. It's a huge problem."

Haase said her goal is to inform coaches and teachers on the legal ramifications of dealing with students and athletes who "sext" or improperly use social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace.

"The Nebraska Unicameral has also changed the sex offender statutes, so now if you are a sex offender there are not different classes," said Haase. "It's only you're a sex offender or you're not. So, if you are convicted of sexting, you will have to register as a sex offender."

Haase said sexting, which is a class four felony in Nebraska, can have irreversibly negative effects for those to take the pictures and those who distribute them; not only because the digital images can be easily stored forever, but also because of the criminal implications that come with it.

"If you're a convicted sex offender it's going to be difficult for you to be a pharmacist, a doctor, a lawyer. Student athletes who want to play on a college level could have a criminal record which would make them unattractive to college programs," said Haase. "There are a lot of implications."

Which is why she spends much of her time educating people on the dangers of sexting, to try to prevent young people from making one poor decision that could affect the rest of their lives.