One in Five teens have sent or posted a nude or seminude picture or video online . Teens everywhere have been involved in sending or share essentially child pornography. Thirteen percent of sexting teens attempt suicide each year. We need to stop this epidemic of online photo sharing before we lose even more lives of kids because they decided to explore their sexuality in a new way that lead to bullying. Although, how do you talk to teens about this? First, the definition. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sexting as : The sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone (Merriam-Webster). Now, what is considered a sexually explicit image? Well a sexually explicit image is usually any photo that shows any nude or seminude
In today’s American society, almost everyone, even children as young as six, owns a cell phone with a camera. Although convenient, camera phones also open the door to massive problems concerning child pornography that stem from sexting, or sending nude or lascivious photos. According to a 2010 Federal Bureau of Investigation survey1 of 4,400 middle and high school students, “approximately eight percent of students reported that they had sent a sext of themselves to others while thirteen percent said they had received a sext.” The main problem with sexting, aside from being child pornography if it is a picture of minor, is the ease of dissemination of the sext to other contacts or even the Internet. The United States alone has seen several students commit suicide after a sext intended for one person’s eyes goes viral or is sent to the entire high school. Such was the case of Ohio high school student, Jesse Logan, who sent nude photos to her boyfriend who then sent them to other students who harassed her until she committed suicide.2
“Teens and Sexting: What is it and What can Parents do?” Bradley Hospital. Web. 31 March 2014
I would like to highlight the topic of sexting and youth as it was one of the few discussions in which I participated where there were opposing views on the subject, benefiting the level of discussion. Many people discussed the issues behind sexting and youth and why it should be avoided. In contrast, I decided to focus on how sexting can be healthy and even beneficial. In addition to the ripe environment for discussion, the topic itself was something with which I have had experience, both in my own life and as a topic of conversation in other courses that I have taken, and so, was one of the more relatable topics. Furthermore, with the growing use of technology within a sexual context, I believe that this is an important topic to discuss.
Minors are at risk in public places and online when with groups of people. Parents and other adults are responsible for keeping them safe from illegal and troublesome content on the internet. Their risks include harassment, bullying, sexual solicitation and exposure to illegal materials. Sexting, or sending sexual photos or messages puts the exposed minor at risk, as well as the person who receives the picture/message. They seem to be unaware of the personal and legal consequences involved in this behavior. Parents need to know who children are talking to and what they are posting online, limit internet usage, have clear expectations, and have a plan for safety.
Sexting is an issue that many people are still unclear on. Sexting is the exchanging of nude or seminude pictures or videos by cell phones (Hewitt and Driscoll). These media files can be exchanged by teens as young as 11 to married adults in their 40s. Sexting can hold serious consequences, such as being charged with child pornography, having to register in the sex offenders list, and even facing jail time (Hewitt and Driscoll). Even after knowing the gravity of the consequences, people continue to sext. The reason behind this phenomenon is still a mystery. Some believe that some individuals want to sext in order to gain the attention that they aren’t getting from significant other. A woman who had participated in sexting even claimed that a man she sexted with made her feel wanted (Tapper). The same article states that men believe “if you get a woman to send you a naked picture, you’re cool. It’s an ego boost.” Although many know sexting can be a crime, many individuals who sext do i...
This world has become immersed in online media from socializing on networking sites to seeking information on search engines. People of all ages have become reliant on online media, but the most engaged users are the younger, more easily impacted generations. Although there are many positive uses for online media, there are many negative uses as well. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for these negative effects to impede upon the perceptions of adolescents. Some countries have been trying to reduce this effect by expelling the inappropriate content of online media ("Influence on Children Media...”). However, in the United States, children are thrown in the waves, expected to stay afloat in this massive sea, but many are being dragged under the surface by the nefarious temptations media creates. Content that is not appropriate for the young, growing minds of children are easily accessible; a myriad of devices may be used to access this material, all at the click of a button. Without adult content filters on online media, adolescents of various ages are exposed to dangerous conceptions. A world of pornography, violence, and public humiliation lay in the user’s fingertips.
With technology becoming easier and easier to use and in part due to the high sexual emphasis in the American culture, men and women are being exposed to pornography earlier and earlier, with the average age being about 12 for men and 13 for women (Gilkerson). These children easily keep their internet wanderings secret from their less technologically savvy parents, as about 62% of teens say their parents know little or nothing about the websites they visit (San Diego Court).
Teen’s today face serious criminal charges when they get in trouble for sexting. Sexting is an exchange of nude or seminude images via a telecommunication device. When teens are engaging in sexting, they are not thinking of the possible criminal charges they can face. Sexting among teens is a common issue that we face today in our highly technological world. Laws are not able to keep up with the rate of technology advancements. Teacher, parents, and Louisiana law makers need to be more aware of this issue to try and protect teens from endangering themselves and their future.
Sexting can be referred to as sexual content communicated through text messages, smart phones, or visual and web 2.0 activities such as social networking sites. It has been defined as the ‘exchange of sexual messages or images’ (Livingstone et al., 2011) and ‘the creating, sharing and forwarding of sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images’ (Lenhart, 2009) through mobile phones and/or the internet. There are many factors associated with sexting. This includes that fact that it is coercive, this means that sexting does not refer to a single activity but rather to a range of activities which may be motivated by sexual pleasure but are often linked to harassment, bullying and even violence. (Ringrose, Gill, Livingstone and Harvey, 2012, pp 7).
This piece of legislation classifies an image that "appears to be" or "conveys the impression" of a minor engaging in sexually explicit acts as "virtual" child pornography. Such images include a photograph of a real child that may be scanned, replicated and manipulated by computer to create a sexually-oriented photo, or a wholly fake child that may be generated solely by computer graphics.
America has many issues, one of them is the issue of social media taking over our world. People of today could not go a day without social media; it runs their lives. Though social media makes our lives easier, by allowing us to stay connected, it is threatening the sanity and psychological health of people. Many people over use social media they post every move of their day and get addicted to informing people what they are doing. Teens are the most highly affected people in America due to the fact that they use social media the most in everyday life; this makes them more vulnerable and capable of becoming addicted. People need to realize that technology is affecting the teens of America and making them psychologically ill.
About 1 in 5 teens have posted or sent sexually suggestive or nude pictures of themselves or others (bullyingstatistics,org, 2013).
One of the most obvious effects of pornography on the Internet is the easy access that juveniles have to it. All it takes is the click of a mouse and there they are, thousands of nude photos, of women and men doing all sorts sexually explicit of things. Many teens first come across these sorts of thing accidentally. But is it really accidental if advertisement, spams, and e-mail advertising free porn sites pop up every five minutes? How can teens stay away from these kinds of things if they're right there in font of them? "In a 2001 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 70 of 15-to 17-year-olds said they had accidentally come across pornography online." [1] This leads us to wonder does someone actually want teens to view these sites. If porn is meant to...
I believe that the key to safe and secure social media begins with proper use. Illegal and highly discouraged activities should not be tolerated and consequences should be mandatory. In terms of social media use in teens and young adults, it is important for parents to teach their children what acceptable use of computers and social media is so that they can understand the potential danger and all minors should be monitored while using the Internet to ensure safe usage is being followed. Regardless of age, all users of social media should think twice before clicking the post button about what unintended consequences that post could have.
Because of the negative media representation, it can add to the persons negative feelings if they ever get caught. Sexting has come to such intense scrutiny because it is thought of as scandalous and wrong by many people. Firstly, it seems that certain media, such as movies and television shows, can never mention sexting without talking about it negatively or causing conflict in a character’s life. This stereotyping can be dangerous because it consistently shows young girls as sluts and young guys as evil.