A recent study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy suggests that over 20% of teens (ages 13-19) and an incredible 33% of young adults (ages 20-26) have shared nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves either via cell phone text messaging or by posting online. Teen girls are a little more likely to do this than boys and a very distressing 11% of the young teen girls (ages 13-16) admitted to sending inappropriate photos of themselves.

Recent reports from The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center point to several factors that should be troubling to parents and guardians. These topics are also an opportunity for solution providers. There is an increase in the percentage of teenagers that own mobile phones, the amount of texting they do, and more troubling the percentage of young adults that are occupied with “sexting” – the sending of provocative images or text messages from cell phones.

What’s the fuss?  Just innocent fun, adolescents discovering their new sexuality? 

You might want to reconsider.  Sending a sexually explicit photo of a child is a sex crime.  Young people are being arrested, convicted and having to register as sex offenders.  They are gambling with more than emotional distress and humiliation, charges of sexual misconduct can result in getting suspended and expelled from school, losing scholarships, and losing jobs.  A felony conviction may also affect future employment opportunities, including law enforcement and other high-security clearance positions.   In other words, they’re ruining their lives over a little “innocent” fun.

There isn’t anything innocent about it.  Consider that if a sixteen year old sends a sexting image of themselves – they could be violating child pornography statues in most states. 

A conviction in felony court for “sexting” will result in other serious consequences.  In addition to the potential jail sentence and/or fine imposed by a judge, registration may be stipulated with the Sex Offender Registration Board for the next 20 years.  Furthermore, the felony court may order the forfeiture and destruction of the computer or digital devices used.

As sending SMS text messages from cell phones has become a focus in teenager social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly troubled about the role of mobile phones in the sexual lives of young people.   A new research study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) concluded that 4% of mobile phone using teenagers ages twelve to seventeen say they have transmitted sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to other people using SMS text messages.  This practice is typically known as “sexting” in the current slang. Additionally, fifteen percent say they have received such images of someone they actually know via text message.

According to a study from marketing research firm The Nielsen Company (blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/under-aged-texting-usage-and-actual-cost/) American teens transmit an inconceivable average of ten text messages every hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and probably a lot during class too!

By studying more than forty thousand monthly US mobile telecom bills, Nielsen concluded that American teens sent an average of an incredible 3,146 text messages every month during the third quarter 2009.  

Their younger counterparts – tweenagers – from age 9 to 12 sent an average of 1,146 texts every month.   That that averages out to about four every hour they were in school or not sleeping.  In comparison, the average number of monthly texts sent by all mobile phone users combined was just slightly above five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users aged nine to twelve increased messaging usage by 8% and almost doubled their text message volume.

Pew Research points out that sending provocative images happens most often during one of three specific scenarios:  The first, exchanges of images solely between two romantic partners;
the next, lists exchanges between partners that are then shared outside the relationship; followed by, exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but with one person hoping there will be one hopes to be}.

Teenagers were interviewed and gave researchers various reasons surrounding the impulse to get involved with sexting.  These included the researcher’s interpretation that “…sexually suggestive images had become a form of relationship currency,”; that sexting images “… are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity,” and that SMS text message sexting is a way of starting or maintaining a relationship.   Sensitive images are also passed along to other people “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”

Teens also shared with researchers the pressure they feel to share these types of images.  Not surprisingly the report also reveals that youths who are more intense users of  cell phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images.  For these teens, the phone has become such a common means for communication and content of all kinds that doing without it is nearly unthinkable.

The combination of risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teen years mixed with routine connection using cellular phones and other mobile devices “…creates a ‘perfect storm’ for sexting,” said Pew’s Amanda Lenhart.  “Teenagers have always grappled with issues around sex and relationships, but their coming-of-age mistakes and transgressions have never been so easily transmitted and archived for others to see.”

Despite some indications that per user usage has peaked, Nielsen predicts that overall SMS usage will increase as the heavy text messaging demographic ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to stay in contact with them.  Current SMS users are expected to continue to text extensively and as tweenagers age they will increase usage.  The number of text messages sent per capita has grown every year and should continue.

If you’ve got kids then in all likelihood not shocked by the usage statistics. But chances are you’re also either in denial that your children are involved in sexting, or you’re actively seeking solutions to the problem. In all probability most parents don’t believe their teenagers are involved with sexting, or they are looking for ways to find out.   While parents may fume that all the texts their teens and tweens are sending are going to break the bank, Nielsen analysis shows the average cost of a single text message is only about one penny.  The real issue affecting families is not so much how often teens use their phones but has more to do with how they use their phones, and when they are using them.

Sexting is a very complicated topic.  Consequently, it is very difficult to provide guidance on how best to manage these situations.  The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children policy states that there are four roles to every sexting case: the individual seen in the photo, someone  who took the photo, the distributor(s) of the image, and the recipient(s) of the image.  In some cases one person may assume more than one of these roles (e.g., a child takes a sexually explicit image, of herself and sends it to a classmate). In other situations, multiple people may take on a single role (e.g., a child takes a sexually explicit picture of himself and sends it to a classmate who then forwards the photo to the entire high school senior class). It is important to consider the intentions and motives of each of the parties in every situation.

The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children advocates parents monitor cell phone use.  A workable technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what teenagers are doing~what’s going on with their teenagers}  is mobile monitoring technology. 
Renowned rights lawyer Gloria Allred addressed the legal costs of “sexting” that parents and teens may not know:
Youth occupied with “sexting” activities – those that transmit sexually inappropriate pictures, are at risk of potential criminal charges for child pornography OR criminal use of a communication device, and in some states, face the exposure of having to register as a sex offender – a disgrace that could follow them for the next twenty years
This stain has [terrible

Sexting can be against the law.  Parents have responsibility to stop it.  Especially considering low cost solutions can be ordered over the internet.     A really great software package that includes remote control of handset settings, and combines Phone GPS Tracking  with SMS text message, Call Log,  MMS multi-media message monitoring, and a web account for storage and review is PhoneBeagle.  

Follow this link if you are interested in    Mobile Monitoring Software that is compatible with BlackBerry  and  Android  Smartphones,.    Visit this link for more information regarding the latest software for 
Parental Monitoring of Mobile Phones .

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