Gone are the days when teens passed love notes in class. Today’s adolescents have taken their notes electronic, in a form of flirting know as “sexting” that can have unwanted and even dangerous outcomes.
Sexting refers to sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs over a cell phone. Teens also use social media sites like Facebook and Myspace to communicate things of a sexual nature.
Even though sexting is usually done innocently – perhaps as a “present” for a boyfriend or girlfriend – the person who sends the information cannot count on it being kept confidential. The recipient may share the information as a way of boasting or to embarrass or bully. The sender could also become the victim of blackmail or cyberstalking.
Teens and adolescents are urged not to engage in this behavior, and parents must also discourage their children from using their cell phones or the Internet for this type of activity.
Sexting should become a routine part of parents’ conversation with their children about sexual health, along with topics like sexually transmitted infections and condom use.
Parents should monitor all Internet use, and cell phones should be viewed in the same way as a car. If parents are paying for it, they should monitor their child’s cell phone use.
Teens use technology to research important sexual health information, but sexting represents the dark side of modern technology.
