Austintown high school students gathered for a presentation on sexting and cyberbullying. They are learning that there are consequences for their online actions.

These days students can find what they do or say online or on their smartphone can literally ruin lives 

Austintown principal, Chris Berni, says much of his day is spent addressing things students write about each other.

"It's a significant part of my job now compared to even 10 years ago, and it's mostly because of what is said or communicated outside the scope of the school day and how that has an impact on a student within the school building," says Berni.

And one the newest areas of concern are Twitter polls, questions people ask on Twitter that are open to anyone to answer, and people can get pretty mean.

Senior Ashley Amendol, says, "A lot of kids take it to heart, and it's so common. It happens all the time, all hours of the day. It just never goes away."

How mean do they get? Just ask senior Ellie Stevens. "There's been polls on who is the biggest slut in the grade, and people will vote on it. Lots of those."

Senior Bryce Hall, says, "Like some of the most attractive females in the school or just meaner things like the least attractive females or anything like that."

So the best way for schools to put an end to the online gossip is to inform students in assemblies like this one.

"They're important because they are very eye-opening for students to know there are consequences for their actions, and this really helps students think about what they are doing," says Hall.