The Pros And Cons Of Sexting

Sexting has received a lot of negative media attention in the past and continues to today. The majority of articles have referred to teenagers and how prevalent it is among them. Most teenagers do not see a problem with sexting even though it is often represented as dangerous by the media. Sexting can be illegal if it is considered to be child pornography, depending on the age of those involved. There are numerous stories of young teens that have been haunted forever by a single picture of them that got shared through social media or on the internet. Technology is used by many people and there are more social media sites than ever before. Therefore, sexting is bound to become a bigger and more scrutinized issue. The reason that sexting is under such intense scrutiny is because of the way males and females are seen and treated differently and the role each gender has in these situations. First, females and males have very different roles in regards to sexting. Males are portrayed by the media as the ones that ask
The article suggests that females send sexts because they feel that they need to, especially when a male previously sent them one because that is the expectation. They feel that they owe him back or that he is looking for something in return. The article also points out that when a male sends a naked picture of himself, it is viewed as “humorous or obnoxious” (“What Teen Sexting”). However, when a female does the exact same thing, it is viewed as shameful and it may follow them for the rest of their life and/or ruin their reputation. A male sext is viewed as a joke while a female sext is shamed. If a female receives an unwanted picture, she is under pressure to reply because that is what is expected of them. In essence, “this exchange tends to uplift boys’ popularity at the expense of girls’ reputations” (“What Teen