Through use of social media, texting, and videos, most teens are comfortable using technology to make plans, establish friendships, and engage in romantic relationships. Gone are the days, for most phone users, of even having to worry about how often and how much they are talking to someone; so many phone plans are unlimited, the better for getting to know one another! Modern teens can connect in an instant and from the comfort of their own bedrooms. Enter sexting. Sexting is sending sexually explicit messages, photos, or videos via any digital device. It can include nudity, messages that discuss sex acts, or content simulating sex acts.
Teen sexting has increased — 5 tips for parents on how to handle it
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Caught Your Kid Sexting, Now What? | HuffPost Life
There are many reasons why adolescents sext. They might be trying to impress a crush or just trying to be funny. Some willingly send nude photos of themselves to their boyfriend or girlfriend. Sometimes, they can be pressured — even blackmailed — into sending a sexual message. Regardless, adolescents who participate in sexting expose themselves to a variety of social, emotional, and legal risks. And once the image is spread, it is impossible to get it back and can circulate to hundreds of people, causing damage to academic, social and employment opportunities.
Parent of Teen Involved in Sexting
Most teens today are comfortable with documenting their lives online. Posting photos, updating their status messages, sharing rapid-fire texts, and being a click away from friends are the new normal for teens. But this "always on" culture also creates an environment where teens can make impulsive decisions that can come back to haunt them. One example of this has been in the news a lot lately: sexting. When people take and send sexually revealing pictures of themselves or send sexually explicit messages via text message, it's called "sexting.
A JAMA Pediatrics study released Monday revealed a rise in the number of young people under age 18 who engage in sexting, with approximately 1 in 7 teens sending sexts, and 1 in 4 receiving them. Sheri Madigan, one of the co-authors of the study, said the increase in teen sexting since the first sexting study , done in by the Pew Research Center, is because of smartphone ownership. The access to smartphones among teens has increased, thus creating higher sexting rates. Madigan said children first get a phone, on average, at age
