No dirty pics or nasty rumors: LG targets teens in mobile safety campaign

As we head into the holiday season and mobile phones top the holiday wish lists of teens - and probably plenty of pre-teens, too - LG has launched a marketing campaign aimed at responsible texting. It's noteworthy because the company is using social media and viral video to reach what is probably one of the toughest nuts to crack - teens.

In a post, Fortune's Jon Fortt talks to the company about its efforts to educate teenagers through these videos, a campaign that was sparked when executives learned that one in five teenagers has received a picture of a naked person through a cell phone message.

The company's site - giveitaponder.com - features photos, videos, link to a Facebook page, and Twitter account.

The videos themselves are actually pretty funny, featuring James Lipton of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio. As teenagers are about to do something risky with their phones - from spreading a mean rumor to sharing pics of body parts - Lipton removes his fake beard and places it on the face of the teen so he/she can "ponder" before sending.

There are also some cool marketing posters - the virgin one here cracked me up - largely because I was once a teenage boy and now I'm the father of a teen daughter.

Believe me. It's not easy talking to teens about online safety and mobile phone safety - they know everything, after all. But I'll share these videos with my own kids in hopes that I can get a laugh out of them. And hopefully they'll share them with their friends and so on.