Recent survey’s have shown that 1 out of 5 teens between the ages of 13-19 admitted to sexting nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to someone.
Why Teens Tell Us They Are Sexting
- Felt pressured by friends or boyfriends / girlfriends
- It is a way of being flirtatious
- Sexting in response to having received a sexting from someone else first
- It was only meant to be a “Joke”
Social Dangers of Sexting
Many teens do not think about the dangers or unanticipated consequences associated
with Sexting.
with Sexting.
- Any images or texts can be shared and posted all over the world in a matter of seconds. In almost all cases, a sext message is shared with other friends or individuals outside of the intended recepient. Over 50% of teens indicate it is very common to sharge text messages or inappropriate images among their friends.
- Once an image is sent into cyber space it can never be truly deleted.
- Many images can end up on pornographic or other related websites.
- Sexting often results in a high rate of the sender being embarrassed, ridiculed by peers and in many cases cyber bullying.
- Sexting results in high rates of depression and in serious cases even suicide.
90% of Teens Surveyed Indicated They Were Not Aware That Sexting Was Illegal and Could Result in Criminal Charges.
Current laws associated with sexting vary and in many states may result in felony charges associated with distribution of child pornography. Most adolescents do not recognize the seriousness of this behavior and courts across the country are facing the legal dilemma of how to handle sexting cases associated with adolescents.