The Problem with Teen Sexting

In the US today Americans recently discovered an emerging trend known as adolescent sexting. Sexting has been defined as the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images, messages, or video through a cellphone or the Internet; sexting can also be referred to as sending nudes. As Guidance Counselors at a High School it is imperative that we educate ourselves and our students on the consequences sexting may have. Many students fail to realize that once the photos or messages are sent there is no turning back. Those images/messages may be forwarded to audiences via the internet and various social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat etc. causing humiliation, depression and in some cases even causing suicide.

Today we live in a world where technology and social media are a big platform in our lives. Smart phones, iPads, and Tablets along with the internet provides many of positive ways to connect and communicate with others. Young adults were born into the generation of advanced technology which can also have possible negative effects. Sexting is the well-known meaning of sharing explicit photographs, text messages, and sexual content through digital devices, cellular devices or over the internet. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, “22% of teen girls and 20% of teen boys have sent nude or seminude photos of themselves over the internet or their phones.” With this being said, many teenagers are engaged in sexting without being aware or considering the consequences of participating in this behavior.

Sexting has been all over the news. Of course its normal for someone to want to send a naughty picture to the significant other, but now we have teens (and even pre-teens) sending nude pictures to get attention from someone of the opposite sex. The pictures usually end up all over the teens school. We live in a new day and age, but most adults would be mortified if a nude picture of them was seen by someone that wasn’t

Americans recently discovered an emerging trend known as adolescent sexting. Sexting has been defined as the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images, messages, or video through a cellphone or the Internet. Sexting can also be referred to as sending nudes. As Guidance Counselors at a High School it is imperative that we educate ourselves and our students on the consequences sexting may have. Many students fail to realize that once the photos or messages are sent, there is no turning back. Those images/messages may be forwarded to audiences via the internet and various social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat etc, causing humiliation, depression and in some cases even causing suicide.

As a result, kids who participate in sexting often regret having done so. It also impacts self confidence leaving them feeling vulnerable and

Sexting is defined as the act of sending or receiving sexually explicit messages through mobile devices (Temple et al., 2012). The practice is increasingly common among hormone-driven teenagers who are becoming more sexually curious. Although sexting may seem quick and harmless, these 14 to 17 year olds do not realize the lasting consequences of their actions. The reality is that adolescents who engage in sexting are at greater risk of being victimized. Victims of sexting scandals may be exploited and publicly humiliated if their messages are abused or misdirected. In the case where a minor is involved, the act of sexting may lead to serious criminal consequences. Both the minor and the recipient may be convicted of a felony and charged with the possession, distribution, or receipt of child pornography (Jaishankar, 2009). Additionally, those who fall victim to sexting scandals may also be at risk of victim-blaming and victim-shaming. Both approaches hold the victim accountable for his/her own victimization and believe that he/she shares some responsibility for the harm directed against them. Nevertheless, the act of sexting can cause an individual to become a victim of bullying, blackmail, unwanted attention, and psychological distress (Temple et al., 2012).

The next group of students, grades seven through nine, will increase be more relevant to what exactly sexting is.  The average age that children now-a-days are getting cellular telephones is 11.6 years of age (The Online Mom).  Therefore, text messaging will be come more relevant to this junior high school age, and it will greatly benefit the students to know exactly what cellular telephones are supposed to be used for, and what sexting entails.  This will educate the students about what kind of text messages are appropriate, and what kind of messages (including what sexting is) are inappropriate, and the consequences that can entail sending sexts.

Social media has become an outlet for teenagers to communicate constantly, monitor each other’s lives, and control what they want others to see. As social media is becoming more and more popular, more teenage moral panics are occurring. A moral panic is defined as the “fear of a new technology’s or cultural form’s negative impact outside of parental control.” (Jackson) Throughout these past few years, there have been an endless amount of teenage moral panics. Snapchat is an application that has caused a great amount of controversy. With the Snapchat application, you get to control how long the person you send a photo to can view that photo before it disappears. The problem with this is that you can take a snapshot of the photo before it disappears. Snapchat has become to be a teenage moral panic; more specifically Snapchat “sexting”, which is “the act of sending sexual messages and pictures to another person through phones or the internet.”(Klower) On Snapchat parents cannot control what their teenagers are sending and to who their teenagers are sending pictures and videos to. Therefore, teenagers feel a sense of privacy, and use the application to sext, which can lead to various negative behaviors.

According to research, approximately “39% of teens between the ages of 13-19 years old have sent at least one sext message and 48% have received one sext message. Of the teens who sext, 63% said the photos were sent to a boyfriend/girlfriend, 29% said they sent them to somebody they were casually dating, 19% sent these photos to someone they didn’t know well and only met through a chatting app and 24% sent them to someone they only knew online. As for the reasons teens sext, 49% said it was harmless fun, 39% said they did it to receive photos back, 16% thought it was a normal thing to do, 16% said they did it because everybody else was doing it and 13% said they were pressured into sexting.”

According to The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families, a clinical report, Sexting is defined as sending, receiving or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs or images via cell phone, computer or other digital devices. A national survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com found a surprising 20 percent of teens from ages 14-18 have participated in sexting. Though both genders seem to be sending sexually explicit or vulgar messages, 71% of teenage girls are more probable to send inappropriate photos of themselves, particularly to their boyfriends compared to teenage boys who only do it 67% of the time. However, this is not the worst part. 36% of teenage girls

Females and individuals who sext increase their risk for multiple forms of cybervictimization (Reyns et al., 2013, p. 11). Similarly, Abeele et al. (24) suggest that sexting may lead to adolescent girls having a “slutty” reputation among female and opposite sex peers. Two commonly perceived risks amongst university students in Renfrow and Rollo’s (2014) study include having a sext shared with unintended viewers and “taking things too far” (individuals feared certain language used would lead to self-objectification and send an inaccurate message). Among adolescents, sexting can be beneficial on the basis of peer acceptance including the various peer group dynamics examined (Abeele et al., 2014, p. 25). Correspondingly, Renfrow and Rollo (2014) pose common ways in which individuals perceive sexting as normal. Respondents suggest sexting may maintain and strengthen a relationship in addition to providing a safer alternative to actual sex (Renfrow & Rollo, 2014, p.

The advancement in technology has opened many venues for child predators. To the law-abiding citizens, the technology helps us in our everyday work, life, and keeping up with the family. However, these advancements are a haven for sex offenders, which have opened up a completely new availability of victims. This technology has made child victims more susceptible to the trolling sex offenders. In the last decade, more forms of social media have surfaced and younger adolescents are joining these sites. Most children are unaware of the dangers. Aside from the social media sites, chat rooms have become a craze for not only young adolescents but also pre-teens, teens, young adults and even mature adults. In light of all these types

One serious issue is sexting, Sexting among teens is not only illegal, but harmful and dangerous among the sender and the receiver. Both are held responsible for child pornography and can be dealt serious consequences. Sexting causes an increase in teen suicides, anxiety self-esteem and involves pressure meaning another forum cyberbullying. Exposing these pornographic photos will not only stress the deliverer but lead to sexual harassment in conclusion.

Cyberbullying is one of the main issues overtaking society today in the opinions of seventy six percent of people from the ages of fourteen to twenty four. Fifty six percent of the people in this age group are the victims of cyberbullying through both digital and social media. Another problem, according to seventy one percent of people, is sexting, when a person receives or sends inappropriate sexual messages. One out of every three people suffers from sexting habits, and fifty one percent of people from the ages of fourteen to twenty four have admitted to it. Ten percent of these people had not met the recipient of the messages in person, and about half of the people were under pressure to send these violating messages. Digital abuse in relationships is a problem that reaches forty-one percent of couples. Three in ten people are checked on through the media by their partner, and twenty seven percent of the people who are in a relationship have been forced to share the messages they have sent or received with their partner. Last but not least, one out of every two people has observed discrimination through language on social networks. Fifty one percent of people think this is wrong, but forty-six percent of people think it is okay as long as the sender makes it clear that they are joking. Similarly, fifty four percent of people believe close friends can

Two years ago the word sexting did not exist. The combination of the words “sex” and “text” is now a term that is heavily discussed and causes issues for parents, students, educators, and law enforcement. Although there is no legal definition of sexting, it generally refers to writing sexually explicit messages, taking sexually explicit photos of themselves or others in their peer group and technologically transmitting those photos and/or messages to their peers. Now many people don’t know the problems associated with sexting. Most of these problems occur when one or all parties are minors. When a minor is involved there can be serious consequences that can follow a person for a life time.