The Dangers of Teen Sexting

By Sierra Shumate 

You may ask: What is sexting? 

Sexting is sending, receiving or forwarding either sexually explicit photos or messages through text, or through email. The term "sext" first emerged around 2005, but there have been many ways that sexual imaging and material have been recorded and exchanged over the years. However, social media has given a whole new outlet to produce and share this type of material with the click of a button--and sometimes, these types of messages are sent without thought about who may be seeing them. 

Recent research that was recently performed on teen sexting at the University of Utah's Department of Psychology shows some of the dangers of sexting. Researchers surveyed approximately 600 teens ages 14-18 and found that about 20 percent of the teens answered that they had sent a sexual image of themselves using their cell phone via texts. About 40 percent of teens said that they had received a sext before, and 25 percent of those admitted to having forwarded the sext to someone else.
Just recently there has been some interesting research released on teen sexting:

The study also showed that around a third of these teens didn't really consider the legal ramifications of their sexual actions--those teens who had engaged in sexting were much more likely to find the activity acceptable than those who did not. 

A second study was performed and published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Findings showed that 28% of kids had sent a sext before, and about 76% of those had admitted to having had sexual intercourse. Girls were asked to send a sext much more often than boys, and the peak "sexting" age is around 16. After age 18, sexting seems to decline.

It may seem difficult to parents to be able to talk to their teens about sex--but it is of the utmost importance. At first, it may seem a little daunting, but after multiple discussions it will begin to get more comfortable and pay off. It is also important to create an environment to have a safe dialogue with your child where they will feel comfortable telling you things and won't feel afraid to discuss things with you. Although it is valuable to talk to your teen about the consequences and impacts of acting out on sexual impulse, it is also  important to let him/her know that sexual desires and curiosity are normal at that age. Teens tend to experiment and explore, as sex creates curiosity. It is important for parents to be a baseline in their teens lives' in order to help them through the adolescent experience 

Source: Psychology Today