Children, Issues »

The writings of Guest Blogger Sandra Brownrigg can be found at her blog, Amplify. Image courtesy of kiwanja.net

Back in the days before caller i.d., most of us anonymously called someone we had a crush on — just to hear the person’s voice – at least once or twice. As soon as they answered, we’d hang up, giggling with our friends. Perhaps, too, in middle or high school, you made out with someone at a party – and the next day, to your profound distress, they told everyone in the school. Or, when you broke up with your high school (or even college) boyfriend, he spread a rumor that you’d gone all the way – even when you hadn’t.

Times have changed

Those rites of passage, as silly and painful as they were, are so very innocent compared to today’s ubiquitous, ever-lasting online world. Now slumber parties can turn into Chat Roulette sessions, where “truth or dare” is replaced by “get naked in front of strangers online.” Boys are much more likely to engage in this behavior than girls. Because the Internet is the world’s largest public marketplace, sexting and video chat carry risks and a permanent record we did not have to worry about when we were experimenting in the pre-Internet days.

How prevalent is sexting?

No one knows how many teens and young adults are sexting – sending sexually explicit texts or pictures via text message. The study Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults (note that it is a PDF) estimated that, as of 2008, half or more have sent or received explicit messages. Perhaps most alarming: “15% of teens who have sent or posted nude/seminude images of themselves say they have done so to someone they only knew online.” In other words, some of our children are sending provocative pictures of themselves to strangers via the internet – which means those pictures have a shelf life of forever

Other surveys estimate a lower rate, saying that one in five teens have received an explicit text or picture: less than 5% admit sending an explicit message. A Pew survey said that teens with unlimited texting or “pay their own bills” are the most likely to sext. Regardless of the exact numbers, experts agree that sexting is becoming increasingly common. Read the full story »

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