57.8 F
Indianapolis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Teens and sexting

More by this author

Maxine Redmond allows her 13-year-old son Adam Miller to have a cell phone due to his busy after school schedule, yet has taken action to protect her son from lewd images.

ā€œI cannot monitor the verbiage in his texts. However, I have blocked picture mail and internet access ā€“ which I hope will prevent or deter inappropriate information,ā€ said Redmond.

Though Redmond monitors her sonā€™s cell phone habits, other parents are unaware their children are ā€œsextingā€ or sending nude pictures via text message.

According to a nationwide survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, roughly 20 percent of teens admit to participating in sexting.

News reports are increasingly documenting legal backlash and in some states, like Pennsylvania and New York, sexting is a serious felony and considered obscenity or child pornography.

The act of sending sexually explicit text messages may shock some, but many fear the potential sharing is what causes the real danger for teens who may believe sending nude photos to their girlfriend or boyfriend is harmless.

Technologically advanced cell phones have additionally made it accessible to send such messages.

ā€œWhat happened to the time when if you liked a boy at school, youā€™d pass him a note,ā€ asked news reporter Gigi Stone.

While teenagers may appear to be more sexual than in years past, Dennis Fortenberry, professor of pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine states adults should put sexting into perspective.

Over the past 100 years or so, there has been some decline in the age of puberty, on average, giving rise to biologically mature adolescents. Fortenberry believes adults should view their teen as sexual beings.

ā€œItā€™s a useful rule to keep in mind that sexually speaking, adolescents are more like adults than unlike adults. Thereā€™s almost nothing about adolescent sexual behavior thatā€™s unique in some absolute way,ā€ said Fortenberry. ā€œThe separation is maturity and experience.ā€

Adult sexuality and adolescent sexuality may surprisingly compare but Fortenberry also says modern parents should pay attention to what teens in general are doing, ask themselves are habits like sexting pervasive, see where their teen falls into certain teen habits and incorporate issues like sexting into their normal conversations about sex.

ā€œ(Adam) knows that inappropriate pictures, verbal and written conversation is wrong and unacceptable. I tell him that sex should be within the boundaries of marriage as God intended. It was never meant to be a tool to degrade, use and disrespect another person,ā€ said Redmond.

Due to relatively recent societal changes on sexual behavior and mass teen texting, Fortenberry adds there is no extensive research on teen sexting or if teens sext more than adults.

ā€œA lot of times when it comes to teens and sex, our first response is to panic. The idea that adolescent behavior and sexuality is an uncontrollable beast is probably wrong. Talk to your kids and think about it before we decide that the current generation has completely lost control,ā€ said Fortenberry.

- Advertisement -
ads:

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

EspaƱol + Translate Ā»
Skip to content