Teenage sexting is a new and little understood practice. Find out more about the phenomenon.

by Rune H. Rasmussen

The term “sexting” refers to the distribution of sexually explicit photos or messages using electronic media. The practice of teenagers taking enticing photos of themselves have become a common part of courtship. This might seem like a private token of love, but many teens experience problems after the relationship ends, as their former partner is in possession of a highly compromising image that can easily be distributed via mobile, e-mail or social networking sites.

Modern technology enables anyone to send, copy, forward and publish revealing photos of themselves and others to be seen by huge audiences. When such photos are made public there is no way to stop the images spreading further. It becomes possible for anyone to see a child’s most intimate self.

Many tragic cases
In the hands of teenagers such images almost always causes the subject to become the object of ridicule and name calling. In recent years there have been several tragic cases of sexting, one being the suicide of 18-year-old Jessica Logan in Ohio, USA. She made the mistake of sending a nude text of herself to her boyfriend. After the relationship ended he distributed the picture around her high school, which made her the victim of massive bullying. She became afraid to go to school, and a few months later she hanged herself.

Experts and research differ
The practice of teenage sexting is still little understood, but there is no doubt that it is a reality that is here to stay.

A recent study in the US, conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project, shows that 15 percent of teens have received sexual text messages from someone they know. Four percent of the teens said they had sent out sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves. It seems that kids "sext" to show off, to entice someone, to show interest in someone, or to prove commitment.

The 800-person survey, released in December 2009 by the nonprofit research group, found older teens were more likely to send sexual images than younger teens. Four percent of 12-year-olds reported sending sexually suggestive images, while 8 percent of 17-year-olds reported sexting nude or partially nude photos.

In addition, the Pew survey shows that teens that use phones owned by their parents or have restrictions placed on how frequently they can text are less likely to engage in sexting.

According to the UK charity Beatbullying, one in three 11-18-year-olds has received a "sext" – and girls are regularly being bullied into taking and sharing explicit photos of themselves.

Talk to kids about sexting
Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in the US, said to CNN that the number of kids who are sexting should concern parents enough to make them talk to their kids about the dangers of sexting, but should not cause them to panic. Any behaviour, including sexting, that contributes to a culture of casual sexual encounters should be of concern to parents, he said.

Albert urged parents not to blame mobile phones for the trend:  "To me, blaming the technology is like blaming an automobile for drunk driving. It is not the product, it is not the technology that is the problem. It is the judgment of the people using the technology."

What does the law say about sexting?
At present it is illegal to take, hold or share "indecent" photos of anyone under 18 in the UK.

An article in Guardian explains the legal aspects of sexting in a very informative way:

“Sexting by young people is likely to involve "taking an indecent photograph of a child", which is a serious criminal offence. Depending on the circumstances, taking the image may also amount to inciting a child to perform a sexual act, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and, in some cases, engaging in sexual activity with a child – all of which are separate offences.

Inevitably, sexting involves forwarding images. Although receiving the messages is not an offence, keeping them counts as "possessing an indecent image". The longer the image remains on a phone, the more serious the offence. Anyone who then forwards a message with an image of a child is likely to be committing a further offence of "distributing indecent images of children". Any suggestion of malice – such as revealing images of a former boyfriend or girlfriend after a break-up – is likely to be seen as an aggravating factor.

Despite having been drafted long before the sexting era, the law is clear on the seriousness of indecent images of children. But the purpose of these offences is to protect young people, so whether the police would initiate a prosecution where young people have acted consensually is another matter.

So far, the criminal justice system has tended to kick in where there is a suggestion of duress, disparity of age, or exploitation, although the rise in numbers of young people sexting could lead to a rise in prosecutions in less extreme cases. There are already concerns that young people are unaware of the serious legal implications that sexting can have.”

Read the full story: You don't know what sexting is? (Guardian, Friday 7 August 2009)

Advice for parents
How should parents relate to the problem of sexting? Talking about sex and dating with teens can be difficult and uncomfortable, but it is nonetheless important to do our best in order to protect our children’s integrity.

The following advice might prove to be helpful:

• The sooner, the better. If you wait for an incident to happen before you talk to your children about the consequences of sexting, it might already be too late.
• Remind your child that once they send an image, there is nothing they can do to prevent it from being spread to a huge audience, either at once or later in life. 
• Talk about social pressures. Let your child know that you understand that they can be pushed or dared into sending something. But if this pressure is hard to handle, explain the possible humiliation if an explicit photo is made public. 
• Teach children healthy attitudes. If someone sends them a photo, have them delete it immediately. 
• Explain the legal implications of sexting. It is illegal to take, distribute and keep indecent images of anyone under the age of 18.
  

Source: CommonSense Media

Video Clip:
An informational video on sexting from CommonSense Media. Just press the play button at the top of the right hand column to watch the clip.

Useful link:
ThatsNotCool.com is a great website that gives kids the language and support to take texting and mobile phone power back into their own hands.

Sources:

CommonSense Media
Talking about sexting

CNN
Survey: 15 percent of teens get sexual text messages

Guardian
You don't know what sexting is?
The perils of 'sexting'

Related articles:

BBC
Sexting teens

Guardian
Sexting craze leads to child pornography charges