The online world has become an integral part of teen’s life. They are engaging in harmful behavior like Sexting. Teens think it is normal to share explicit images with the person they are dating. Sending provocative text or pictures with a partner seems like an innocent activity to teens, but if they are doing so, they are unaware that they are opening Pandora’s Box. They can run into relationship problems, reputation problems, or even legal issues quickly. Receiving explicit nudity may seem fantastic, but Sexting can really become a lot of trouble for teens. Sexting is one of the most horrific activities teens do on social media platforms, and they don’t realize that a single click may come back to teens and haunt them. In this article, you will get to know the dark reality behind the “teen sexting” phenomenon. It is said knowledge is power, so read on to get the naked truth about Sexting!
What is Sexting?
Sexting is basically the act of transmitting or receiving nude pictures, calls, messages, or videos in digital format, often on mobile phones or any other devices. The sent or received stuff could be provocative, nude, or semi-nude pictures of themselves or others through text messages. The motivation for teenage Sexting stems from peer pressure, lack of self-control, and the need to be cool or sexually experienced.
Why Do Teens Sext?
There could be a number of reasons behind teen’s Sexting, but here are the following common reasons teens participate in Sexting.
Showing Off
Some teens inject synthetic versions of the drug to show off or boast to their friends. For instance, teenage boys are likely to forward their girlfriends’ nude pictures to other people in the pursuit of popularity or to feel. They fail to see how this can harm the girl and her reputation or build her confidence.
Seducing Someone
Teens do sexting every time one wants to attract another person he or she is attracted to for a date or spark interest in a relationship. Some teens, particularly girls, send indecent pictures or messages just to attract someone they want or to begin an affair with someone. They rarely think about the possible outcomes.
Proving Loyalty
Teens do sexting every time one wants to attract another person he or she is attracted to for a date or spark interest in a relationship. Some teens, particularly girls, send indecent pictures or messages just to attract someone they want or to begin an affair with someone. They rarely think about the possible outcomes.
To Humiliate Someone
Sometimes, when something goes wrong in a relationship, partners who have sexually explicit photos or videos share it on the digital world in order to get revenge on their ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. The only aim they have is to embarrass or humiliate the girl/boy in the photos just because they broke up because of some odd reason. Sometimes, bullies capture photos and videos secretly without obtaining consent by hiding in the bathrooms or locker rooms of others and then posting them to the online world.
What Consequences Teens May Face Doing Sexting?
Teens and even their parents may not be aware of the fact that Sexting may bring some serious consequences not only to the person who is sharing photos, videos, or sexually explicit content but even to those who are at the receiving end as well. So, there is a dire need to discuss with your kids/teens the consequences along with the legal ramifications. In fact, Sexting involves minors, but nude photos are considered child pornography. So, in short, sending or receiving sexual messages is a crime. However, the following is a little overview of what possible repercussions teens may face emotionally and legally if they get involved in Sexting.
Safety issues: Situations or pictures that are shared with the wrong person can expose a teen to stalking, blackmail, or abuse. Teens are unaware at understanding that they are actually exposing themselves.
Psychological harm: Sexting can harm the teen mentally, especially when other person shares their images with someone else without their consent. Some of the effects might extend into the later years of childhood.
Emotional Consequences for Teens: It is common in teens that they don’t realize that participation in Sexting may cause them serious issues; their single wrong move can finish their lives from that point forward. Following are the consequences teens may face emotionally.
Serious Humiliation: Plenty of cases happen every year in which a couple breaks up, and the other feels he/she is being cheated. He/she starts photos among the people by using plenty of platforms to get revenge. As a result, the person in the photos was really humiliated. It is reportedly stated that the young teens whose pictures are mass-distributed feel that they have walked without the clothes.
Cyberbullying: It is obvious that when your nude pictures, videos, and sexually explicit messages get mass distributed, you are possibly bullied in the streets and even in digital media. Bullies are everywhere; they are always ready to get a scapegoat to do bullying in the real world and cyberbullying in the online world by having provocative nude photos.
Teens Feel Guilty and Shameful: Once you got a hell of humiliation and embracement and ultimate tragic results just because your sexual messages have been shared by someone in public. The victim boy or girl is usually called by their bad name. Furthermore, teens mostly don’t bear this kind of embracement and are ostracized by other fellow students. As a result, young teens go for suicide.
Objectification: When a girl is pressured by their boyfriend and sends him nude pictures or something that falls into Sexting, there could be a chance of being objectified. On the other hand, there would be a greater number of chances that a teen may be victimized and sexually assaulted when others make the hypothesis about the teen’s character.
Teens Become Hopeless: When teens are humiliated, cyberbullying, and feel guilty and shameful, things escalate around the Sexting, and finally, young victims become hopeless, depressed, and commit suicide.
Parents should sit with their teens and emphatically explain to them the risks associated with Sexting, forbid it, and check their phones and computers. Still, even though Sexting is present in young people’s lives, it must be stated that it is as dangerous and illicit as before.
The main reason that young people engage in Sexting is mostly because of peer pressure and curiosity. Other reasons include fun and attention from others. Young people, in particular, are currently functioning in a very connected society where updates of their lives on a social media platform are almost as routine as taking a shower.
Lawful Consequences:
Young kids and teens don’t even bother to think that sexting someone is an illegal piece of the act. They don’t realize that they may face serious and lawful issues. Following are some legal consequences teens may face while getting involved in Sexting. Sharing, forwarding, or even receiving sexually explicit messages containing children’s images is also considered child pornography and is unlawful. Sexting could lead to charges if a teenager is charged with it and then prosecuted, depending on the law of the country.
- Child Pornography is a Serious Crime:
Both sender and receiver of Sexting can those who share sexually explicit content in the shape of videos, photos, and text messages may be charged with sharing child pornography, and others who received illegal content can be charged with receiving child pornography, even they did not ask for a video or photo.
- Teens may Registered as Sex Offenders:
Teenagers may get arrested for doing child pornography, and ultimately, they will register as sex offenders. Having the label of sex offender makes it very difficult for young teenagers to bear people’s negative assumptions, ultimately making it very difficult for them to bear the evil label for the rest of their lives.
- Teens May Shock Parents For Lawful Consequences:
Let’s suppose parents know that their young kids and teens are sexting to the extent it becomes illegal at a certain point and they don’t bother to take serious steps against their teens. Then they also may face the charges.
- The Risk of Having Foster Care:
When parents come to know about Sexting and do nothing to stop their young kids and teens, parents may have to remove their teens from their house and shift their kids to child protective services in the city or state.
What Should Parents Need to Do?
Sexting is becoming a dangerous issue in teens. Parents are the ones who can take care of their kids/teens and keep an eye on their activities whenever they want without obtaining their consent. Once parents understand the truth about Sexting, they can recommend relevant decisions for the protection of kids online and offline. Following are some key points to stop your kids from involving in Sexting.
- Be friendly with your kids and talk to them about Sexting. If they don’t know what is sexting then guide them with love and care. Use television programs and other tools to make them understand the issue.
- Use TheOneSpy cell phone monitoring software in order to do surveillance on their activities on smartphones when connected to the internet especially. Parents can use the spy-on-text messages feature of the mobile phone monitoring app. It empowers parents to see all messages sent or received, MMS, iMessage, BBM chat messages, and Heads/Ticker notifications.
- Teens usually protect their mobile phones with keystrokes; parents can use the keylogger of the spy software and then be able to see password keystrokes, Messenger keystrokes, SMS keystrokes, and email keystrokes.
- When parents will have access to all types of keystrokes such as messenger keystrokes they can easily view what type of instant messages their teens send or receive and by whom.
- You can view multimedia files of the monitoring software, get your hands on gallery photos and videos, and even get screenshots of all their activities. Parents will easily learn what type of videos and photos their teens share with their friends online. Parents who think that their teens are using multiple instant messaging apps, and then they can use IM’s Social Media or cell phone spy software. It allows parents to view all IM logs, IM chats and conversations, Media files, and Voice messages.
- Company of friends is very important for your kids; if you want to know what type of friends your kids and teens have, then use bug their phone mobile surveillance software. It allows you to capture surrounding sounds through a MIC bug. You can make short videos of the surroundings through the back and front camera, and you will know the exact location of your kids and what type of activities they do when they are away from home. You can even use the camera bug of the tracking app, which enables you to capture photos of the surroundings through the back and front cameras.
Conclusion
Sexting is on the rise, and young teenagers aren’t getting awareness regarding the issue and the consequences. Being parents, you are the ones who should protect your kids from the addiction of Sexting, and cell phone tracking apps enable you to secure your teen’s future.