How Sexual Behaviors in Teens Linked To Sexting

What is sexting-?

Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs, primarily between mobile phones.

Why sexting is bad?

Some people view sexting as harmless flirting while others view it as child pornography.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com recently conducted a survey asking teens if they are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages. The result shows:

39% of all teens

37% of teen girls

40% of teen boys

48% of teens say they have received such messages

The dangers of sexting

Case 1-

Last year, Cynthia Logan’s 18 year old daughter, Jesse, committed suicide after being harassed about nude photos she had sent to her boyfriend. After Jesse broke up with her boyfriend, he sent the images to her school peers. The embarrassment and harassment eventually led to Jesse taking her own life.

A lot of kids don’t realize the consequences of texting nude or partly nude photos. They might think the pictures and messages they send will remain private between themselves and the intended recipient or not understand that once something has been sent off into cyber space, it’s out there permanently and can come back to haunt them years down the road. Additionally, if the text message falls into the wrong hands, it can expose the teen to online sexual predators.

Case 2-

Australia's first ''sexting'' case is before the Law Courts at the moment. Damien Eades has been charged with possession of child pornography because a 13 year-old girl sent naked photos of herself to his phone. And there is new government ad campaign warning young person about the dangers of sexting

 

Case 3

First you have a 31-year-old man by the name of Eugene Foster from Arizona who finds a nude photo of his girlfriends daughter on the teenagers cell phone. That, of course, poses the question of…why was Foster even looking at the young girls cell phone? I don’t know about you, but that just screams CREEPY to me.So THEN, after finding the picture, Foster decides he’s gonna teach the teen a lesson about the dangers of sexting. How he decides to teach this valuable life lesson still boggles my mind, because he decided to send out the picture to the 38 contacts that she had on her phone. Nice going Eugene (idiot)!

All this act of tuff love did was humiliate a young girl and wound up getting Eugene Foster arrested for mass texting pornographic images of a minor. Police say they realize his actions were well- intended but still violate pornography laws. Foster hasn’t been formally charged yet, as officials are trying to figure out how to proceed with this case. I could care less what his intention was. What Foster did was beyond low. I’d love to know what his girlfriend thinks about all of this. Look, kids are kids and they do stupid shit. That’s just part of life. Although sexting is bad, trying to teach this girl a lesson by broadcasting her naked photo out to her contacts isn’t the way to go.

Eugene Foster, for your complete and utter act of stupidity, you are awarded the crown of “Dumbass of the Day”! Way to go jackass

 

The other side to sexting

Some will argue that sexting is simply a modernized twist to playing spin-the-bottle or doctor. Peter Cumming, an associate professor at York University in Toronto, argues that “such online activities are safer than traditional sexual games because there is no immediate physical contact and thus are less likely to lead to pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.”

Sexting – Are you concerned?

Once you understand what sexting it, the dangers seem quite obvious. The other side of the coin says that sexting is just a modern way of sexual exploration and is safer since there is no physical contact, which means no STD’s or unwanted teen pregnancies. What do you think?

New research- How Sexual Behaviors in Teens Linked to "Sexting"

Watch your teens, otherwise this Sexting" will change their Sexual Behaviors.

According to a study on 948 Texas teens, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, more than 1 in 4 adolescents have sent a nude picture of themselves through electronic means. The authors found that "sexting" - the practice of electronically sending sexually explicit images or messages from one person to another - may be associated sexual behavior.

The researchers suggest that parents, schools, pediatricians, and policy makers do not have enough information regarding the nature and importance of teen sexting, as there is insufficient empirical data. In order to identify the nature of sexting and its prevalence, Jeff. R. Temple, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Health, Galveston, and his team examined 948 students, aged 14 to 19, from seven public high schools in Texas. The team also examined the association between sexting and sexual behaviors.

Study participants provided information about their dating history, sexual behaviors and sexting. In addition, the teens were asked four questions:

Have you ever sent nude photographs of yourself via email or text?

Have you ever asked someone to send you a nude picture?

Has somebody asked you to send a nude picture?

If so, how bothered were you by it?

The researchers explained:

Specifically, more than 1 in 4 adolescents have send a nude picture of themselves through electronic means, about half have been asked to a nude picture, and about a third have asked for a nude picture to be sent to them. Boys, were more likely to ask and girls more likely to have been asked for a sext.The team found that sexting and being asked to send a nude photo was more prevalent among White/non-Hispanic and African American teens that other racial/ethnic groups. In addition, they discovered that adolescents who sexted (both boys and girls), were more likely to have started dating and to have had sex than teens who did not sext.

The researchers said,Given its prevalence and link to sexual behavior, pediatricians and other tween-focused and teen-focused health care providers may consider screening for sexting behaviors. Asking about sexting could provide insight into whether a teen is likely engaging in other sexual behaviors (for boys and girls) or risky sexual behaviors (for girls). In an associated report, Megan A. Moreno, M.D., M.S.Ed., M.P.H., of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Jennifer M. Whitehill, Ph.D., of the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, explained: "In summary, pediatricians should view social media as part of the integrated self of the adolescent patient. Pediatricians have new opportunities to ask their patients about social media, including questions about how time is spent in this environment. Discussing social media with patients may provide new ways to identify intentions or engagement in risky health behaviors."

They conclude: Health care providers and researchers may also consider building education or prevention efforts within social media, as previous work illustrates that teens may be willing to investigate topics such as sexual behavior in a social media setting.

(Source- Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine)