Text messages. Snap Chat. KIK. Videos. Vines. Today’s smartphones are loaded with seemingly billions of ways and trillions of apps allowing us chat with others, including boyfriends, girlfriends, and significant others, twenty-four/seven.
Not surprisingly, some people, including teens, use their smartphones and other devices to send sexually suggestive and explicit photos and videos. This is known as sexting.
In the last few years, sexting has become a hot topic. Everyone is talking about it. Yes, Everyone. Your Mom. Your Grandma. Your first-grade teacher. No one, however, can seem to agree on it — especially when it comes to teens sexting. That’s why we want to hear from you. Take the quick three question survey to share your thoughts on sexting.
Voice Your Opinion:
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Sexting. Everybody’s talking about it. But few people agree. Bad idea? Good idea? Meh?
Share your thoughts on teen sexting:
Take the SafeTeens Sexting Poll
Think again:
- You could get arrested – If the parties involved are under 18 it is considered child pornography. This could put you on the sex offenders’ registry.
- That picture you sent your boyfriend? He just sent it to his whole contact list!
- You could get a bad reputation. You forward a sext, embarrassing the person in the picture and causing them a variety of personal problems and stress.
Who is sexting? And why?
- One-fifth of teens have sent nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves; 15 percent of these teens have sent these to people they only know online
- Thirty-eight percent of teens say nude or semi-nude photos get shared with other people
- Sixty-six percent of girls and 60 percent of boys say they send photos to be “fun or flirtatious”
- Thirty-nine percent of teens have sent sexually suggestive texts and 48 percent have received them
The bottom line is – sexting is a bad idea. In the age of smart phones and Twitter, it’s easier than you think for compromising pictures to spread around your community. Phones can be stolen, accounts can be hacked, and pictures can be shared. It’s much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to sexting!
(References: CBS, ABC, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, MTV, the Wall Street Journal)
Think you’ve got what it takes to build a healthy relationship? Create your ideal boyfriend and see how you respond to some challenging situations in your relationship.
Did you know you may be in a relationship right now and not even realize it?!
After all, you don’t have to be dating someone to be in a relationship.
While boyfriends and girlfriends are probably what teens usually associate with the word, there are many other types of relationships out there: parents, siblings, friends and teachers are just a few!
All relationships have their ups and downs, but if a relationship has more downs than ups, or you find yourself dealing with problems like divorce, sexting or cyberbullying, it can feel pretty overwhelming.
SafeTeens has guides for understanding many common teen relationship problems, tips for handling difficult situations, and resources to get more help.
It’s also a good idea to check out our Mind & Body section.
Why? Because having a good relationship with yourself is the cornerstone to having good relationships with other people!
