Yesterday, NBC's Today show featured the crushingly sad story of Hope Witsell, a Florida 13-year-old who committed suicide after a sexting incident spiraled out of control.

The problems began when Hope sent a topless photo of herself to a boy she liked, trying to gain his attention. Instead, a third party intercepted the photo while using the boy's cell phone, and soon, the image was circulating throughout her own school and beyond.

Many of her eighth-grade friends rallied around Hope but the brutal name-calling and bullying from other students clearly became too much. Her mother discovered her 11 weeks ago, suspended in her bedroom with a scarf wrapped around her neck.

The story, which was first featured in the St. Petersburg Times, is the second incident of a young girl committing suicide after sexting. Ohio teen, Jesse Logan, took her life when nude photographs that she sent to a boyfriend also went viral.

One of the tragic aspects of Hope's story is that her parents were oblivious to the torment that she was going through until most of the damage had been done. They only became aware of the sexting incident after they were notified by the school, which then failed to tell the parents about Hope's subsequent attempts to hurt herself.

Parents can no longer turn a blind eye to sexting. Recent surveys indicate that as many as 1 in 5 children have sent inappropriate images of themselves to others via text or e-mail, and new figures to be released  shortly suggest the practice is significantly more widespread than that. Hope's tragic story proves that sexting is not just a high-school phenomenon; girls and boys as young as 11 or 12 are also at risk.

What can parents do? How can we head-off a problem that could affect our children for years to come or even threaten their lives?

• First of all, recognize the risks.  Even if your child doesn't have a cell phone, many of her friends do. Talk to your child and try to get a sense of whether sexting is taking place at her school or among her groups of friends. Explain exactly what you mean by sexting – they don't have to be sexually explicit images to cause hurt and embarrassment.

• Be vigilant, particularly if your child is in a relationship or spends a lot of time with boys. Make sure they understand that relationships don't last forever and that they shouldn't give in to peer pressure when something doesn't feel right.

• Use real life examples of what can happen, including the well-publicized stories of Hope and Jesse recounted above. Emphasize the consequences – how a moment's poor judgment can haunt them for the rest of their lives.

• Stress responsible behavior and note that your kids don't have to be directly involved in the sexting to be culpable. Re-sending images, spreading rumors, and encouraging others to participate all contribute to an atmosphere that promotes risky behavior.

Above all, be involved and keep the lines of communication open. If you have any doubts as to whether your child is involved in sexting, check chat logs, e-mails, messages and social networking profiles for inappropriate text or images. A little oversight early on can prevent a major tragedy later.