Since my last post about online safety I have noticed there have been a number of news articles about "sexting". And silly me, I was not aware they had come up with a tag name for sending sexuality explicit photos by text. I was not completely ignorant to the fact that it happens or that it has become more and more popular but I also had not considered what kind of consequences can come from it. Well, I mean there are obvious consequences like the pictures being able to be forwarded, shown to others, or even sent to the internet. Those things alone would keep many people from doing it but statistics show that more and more people (teens especially) are sending partially nude, completely nude, and some sexually explicit photos via text on their cell phones. Not exactly what most parents had in mind when they bought their teenager a cell phone so they could keep better track of them or so their teenager could use it in case they found themselves in some kind of trouble. Most parents set rules for many other things with their teens like driving rules, dating rules, and curfew rules. They even often rules about the number of minutes their teen can use their cell phone for or how many texts they can use so why not address sexting and other cell phone issues as well?
Talking to teenagers about teen sexuality issues can be very difficult or sensitive but if parents are not talking to their kids about these issues then their teens are going to get this information from other (probably not so reliable) sources.
Just recently there was an article posted about 6 teenagers in Pennsylvania who have been arrested on child pornography charges due to sexting. There were 3 girls that decided to send pictures to their boyfriends. They were charged with manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography. And 3 boys from that school were charged with possession of child pornography. While other students in other states have been suspended, expelled, lost scholarships, and even had to change schools after their photos had been sexted. Many teenagers have become wise to this and started sending just body shots instead.
Whether teenagers are doing this for fun or because of peer pressure it is important that parents talk to their teens and educate them on the consequences of such behaviors prior to getting a phone call or knock on the door from their child's school or the local police.
I found this trend to be interesting yet frightful and hope by blogging about it more teens, parents, or family members will be more aware and cautious.
