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High School Teen Sexting


If you want to know the end, look at the beginning. –African proverb


            Today’s challenge to youthful sexual exuberance is intertwined with an ever-present android or smart phone, pads or other similar electronic devices that can serve as instruments with the ability to convey images that could haunt a teenager for the rest of her or his life.  Sexting, or sex texting, “is basically sending, receiving, or forwarding sexual photos or sexually suggestive messages through text message or email”  (Lohmann, 2013).  High school teenage sexting is a tragic event that can lead to dire consequences, often, for the too willing participants.  Hormones and angst are natural conditions teens have experienced for generations. Electronic devices and cyberspace, however, have created a new dimension for teens to explore their relationships and sexuality.  Teenage sexting is illegal.

In 2012, PEW provided some interesting statistics about teens and social media.
91% post a photo of themselves, up from 79% in 2006.
71% post their school name, up from 49%.
71% post the city or town where they live, up from 61%.
92% post their real name to the profile they use most often.
82% post their birth date.
62% post their relationship status.
24% post videos of themselves.  (Pew, 2012).

The statistics suggest that teenagers not only spend a great deal of time in cyberspace but they are sharing personal information.  It also becomes a place where young folk can begin to explore their sexual or romantic behaviors.  Unable to decipher the difference between romance and sexual desire some young women become victims of sexting in an attempt to please persuasive partners. 
             “Nearly 40% of all teenagers have posted or sent sexually suggestive messages, but this practice is more common among boys than girls.  Sending semi-nude or nude photos is more common among teen girls.  22% of teen girls report sending images of this nature, while only 18% of same-aged boys have” (11 Facts About Sexting). 

Warning! Warning!  Some Painful Outcomes of Teen Sexting
  • ·      Many young folk are probably unaware that, as stated previously, sexting is pornography and against the law in many places in the United States.     
  • ·      Once its’ creator has sent the image(s) s/he has no control over its distribution.
  • ·      Likewise it is dangerous to have such images saved on electronic devices that can be hacked, stolen or borrowed.
  • ·      By the way, the peak age of sexting is around 16 and 17, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, a brief period when some young folk fall in and out of love several times.
  • ·      Images are easily circulated in cyberspace.
  • ·      Undoubtedly such images will cause immediate trauma; and unforeseen problems in the future, as the pictures can last in perpetuity.
  • ·      Before sexting, remember relationships often break-up and former partners may not be as kind and considerate as in the beginning.  Some folk want revenge or are just bullies. 

If you want to know the end… an individual whom respects and loves another individual wouldn’t want the possibility of a loved one's intimate photos available for all eyes 24-7 in cyberspace.
Respect yourselves…S4S

Some Sources
PEW Research Internet Project/Teen Fact Sheet
11 Facts About Sexting   http://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-sexting

Lohmann, Raychelle Cassada, M.S., L.P.C. “Teen Sexting- The Real Issue,” Psychology Today.  7 April 2013.

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