A recent report from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy shows that about 20% of teens (ages 13-19) and an incredible 33% of young adults (ages 20-26) have shared nude or semi-nude images of themselves either over mobile phone text messaging or by posting online. A bit surprisingly teen girls are slightly more likely to do this than boys and a very distressing one in ten young teen girls (ages 13-16) admitted to sending suggestive images of themselves.
The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center surveys point out several factors that should be troubling to parents and guardians. There is growth in the number of teens that use cellular phones, the amount of texting they do, and potentially much more serious the percentage of young adults that participate in “sexting” – the sending of potentially illegal images or text messages from cell phones.
What’s the fuss? Just innocent fun, youth exploring their emerging sexuality?
Think again. Sending a sexually explicit picture of someone underage might be a sex crime. Kids are being arrested, convicted and are being required to register as sex offenders. They are gambling with more than emotional distress and humiliation, charges of sexual misconduct can result in getting suspended and expelled from school, losing scholarships, and losing jobs. A felony conviction may also affect future job opportunities, including law enforcement and other high-security clearance positions.
Keep in mind if a sixteen year old sends a sexting image of themselves - they could be breaking child pornography statues in most states.
Getting convicted in criminal court for “sexting” may result in other serious consequences. In addition to the potential jail sentence and/or fine imposed by the court, registration may be stipulated with the Sex Offender Registration Board for the next 20 years. Additionally, the criminal court may order the surrender and destruction of the computer or digital devices used.
As sending SMS text messages from cell phones has become an attraction in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly worried about the role of cellular phones in the sexual lives of young people. A new research study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) concluded that four percent of mobile phone owning teenagers ages 12-17 indicate they have transmitted sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to other people using text messaging. This activity is commonly known as “sexting” in today’s slang. Additionally, 15% say they have received such images of someone they already know by way of SMS.
According to research from marketing research firm The Nielsen Company (blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/under-aged-texting-usage-and-actual-cost/) US youths transmit an inconceivable average of ten text messages every hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and probably a lot during class too!
By evaluating over than 40,000 monthly US mobile phone bills, Nielsen found that American teens sent an average of an astonishing 3,146 texts every month during the third quarter 2009.
Their younger counterparts ages 9-12 years old sent about 1,100 texts each month. That equates to four every hour they were in school or not sleeping. To put that in perspective, the average number of monthly texts sent by all mobile users combined was a little more than five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users from age 9 to 12 increased messaging usage by 8% just about doubling the quantity of text messages.
Pew Research points out that sending provocative images occurs most often under one of three typical scenarios: The first, sharing of images just between two romantic partners; the next, lists exchanges between partners that are then shared with other people; followed by, exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, person hopes to be}.
Teens were interviewed and provided Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report numerous reasons behind the motivation to participate in sexting. These included the researcher’s interpretation that “…sexually suggestive images had become a form of relationship currency,”; that sexting images “… are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity,” and that SMS text message sexting is a way of establishing a relationship. Sensitive images are also passed along to other people “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”
Teens also described to researchers the peer pressure to share these types of pictures. Not surprisingly the report revealed that teenagers that are intensive users of mobile phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images. For these teenagers, the phone has become such a common means for communication and content of all kinds that turning it off is unlikely.
The combination of risk-taking and sexual adventure during the teenage years combined with routine connection via cellular phones and other mobile devices “…creates a ‘perfect storm’ for sexting,” said Pew’s Amanda Lenhart. “Teenagers have always grappled with issues around sex and relationships, but their coming-of-age mistakes and transgressions have never been so easily transmitted and archived for others to see.”
Despite some indications that per user usage has peaked, Nielsen predicts that overall text message usage will increase as the heavy text messaging population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to stay in contact with them. Existing SMS users are expected to continue to use texting extensively and as tweenagers become teenagers they are in all probability going to follow the trends of texting established by current teens. The number of text messages sent per capita has grown every year and should continue.
If you’ve got teens then in all likelihood not surprised by the usage numbers. But chances are you’re also either in denial that your teenagers are involved in sexting, or you’re actively seeking solutions to the problem. In all probability most parents don’t believe their teenagers are involved with sexting, or they are looking for ways to find out. While parents may fume that all the texts their teens and tweens are sending are going to break the bank, Nielsen research indicates the average cost of a single text message is only about one penny. The real issue concerning parents is not so much how often teens use their phones but has more to do with how they use their phones, and when they are using them.
Sexting is an extremely complex issue. As a result, it is very difficult to offer advice on how best to handle these situations. The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children policy states that there are four roles to every sexting case: the person seen in the photo, someone who took the picture, the distributor(s) of the picture, and the recipient(s) of the photo. In some cases one person may assume more than one of these roles (e.g., a child takes a sexually explicit picture, of herself and sends it to a classmate). In other situations, multiple people may take on a single role (e.g., a child takes a sexually explicit picture of himself and sends it to a classmate who then forwards the photo to the entire high school senior class). It is important to think about the intentions and motives of each of the parties under different circumstances.
The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children advocates parents monitor cell phone use. A practical technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what kids are doing~what’s going on with their kids} is cell phone technology.
Celebrated rights attorney Gloria Allred revealed the legal consequences of “sexting” that parents and teens may ignore:
Teenagers involved in “sexting” actions – those that send and receive sexually inappropriate images, are at risk of potential felony charges for child pornography OR criminal use of a communication device, and in some states, face the exposure of having to register as a sex offender – a stigma that could haunt them the rest of their lives.
risk of criminal prosecution and the prospects of incarceration and/or probation, which will potentially remain on their criminal record for the indefinite future, they also face the prospect of the possibility of being required by the Court to register as sex offenders.~This label has [terrible~horrific] consequences for teens including [required~mandated] reporting of the sex offender in various public records and very burdensome notification requirements that the sex offender must comply with – which may remain with the sex offender for the rest of his/her life.}
Sexting can be illegal. Parents are responsible to stop it. Especially when low cost solutions can be ordered online. A very good software package that includes remote control of cell phone settings, and combines Phone GPS Tracking with SMS text message, Call Log, MMS multi-media message monitoring, and an online account for archive and review is PhoneBeagle.
Follow this link if you are interested in Mobile Monitoring Software that works with with BlackBerry and Android Smartphones,. Visit this link for more information regarding the latest software for
Parental Monitoring of Mobile Phones .