Ignore This and You Might Ruin Your Kid's Life – Sexting is a Potential Sex Crime
A recently published study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that about 20% of teens (ages 13-19) and an incredible 33% of young adults (ages 20-26) have shared nude or semi-nude images of themselves either using mobile phone text messaging or by posting online. Somewhat surprisingly teen girls are a little more likely to do this than boys and a very distressing one in ten young teen girls (ages 13-16) admitted to sending inappropriate pictures of themselves.
The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center surveys point out a handful of factors that should be causing concern for parents and guardians. There is growth in the number of teens that own cell phones, the amount of texting they do, and more troubling the percentage of teens that are involved in “sexting” – the sending of provocative images or text messages from mobile phones.
Why the fuss and bother? Just innocent fun, youth exploring their emerging sexuality?
Think again. Transmitting a sexually explicit photo of a child might be a sex crime. Young people are being arrested, going to court and are being required to register as sex offenders. They are gambling with more than emotional distress and humiliation, convictions can trigger a restriction of school activities, such as sports, denial of college admission, and denial of student loan eligibility, and losing jobs. A felony conviction can also affect future employment opportunities, including law enforcement and other high-security clearance positions.
Keep in mind if a sixteen year old sends a sexting photo of themselves – they could be violating child pornography statues in most states.
A conviction in criminal court for “sexting” may result in other serious consequences. In addition to the potential jail sentence and/or fine imposed by a judge, they may be required to register with the Sex Offender Registration Board for the next 20 years. Additionally, the felony court may order the surrender and destruction of the computer or digital devices used.
As sending SMS text messages from cell phones has become an attraction in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly worried about the role of mobile phones in the sexual lives of teens. A new research study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) determined that four percent of cell phone owning teens ages 12-17 indicate they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to other people using text messaging. This practice is commonly known as “sexting” in today’s slang. Additionally, 15% say they have received such images of someone they already 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 youths send an unbelievable average of ten SMS messagesSMS texts per hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and probably a lot during school too!
By studying over than forty thousand monthly US mobile mobile bills, Nielsen determined that American teenagers sent an average of an astonishing 3,146 text messages every month during the third quarter 2009.
Their younger counterparts aged nine to twelve sent an average of 1,146 texts every month. That equates to four per hour they were in school or not sleeping. In comparison, the average number of monthly texts sent by all mobile users combined was just slightly above five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users ages 9-12 years old increased messaging usage by eight percent and almost doubled their text message volume.
Pew Research points out that sexting occurs usually under one of three typical scenarios: The first, exchanges of images just between two romantic partners; the next, points to exchanges between partners that are then shared outside the relationship; followed by, exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, person hopes to be}.
Teenagers were interviewed and provided researchers various explanations behind 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 friends “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”
Teenagers also shared with researchers the pressure they feel to share sexual pictures. Not surprisingly the report revealed that teenagers who are more intense users of cellular phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images. For these young people, the phone has become such a common means for communication and a variety of content that doing without it is unlikely.
The desire for risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teen years mixed with constant connection via mobile 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 forecasts that overall text messaging usage will increase as the heavy text messaging population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to keep in contact with them. Current SMS users will continue to use texting extensively and as tweenagers become teenagers they are in all probability going to follow the trends of texting established by current teenagers. The number of text messages sent per capita has grown every year and should continue.
If you’ve got children then you’re probably not surprised by the usage numbers. 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 can’t believe their children are involved with sexting, or they are looking for ways to find out. While parents may be upset that all the texts their teens and tweens are sending are going to break the bank, Nielsen research shows the average cost of a single text message is only about one penny. The real issue concerning parents is not so much how often teens use their phones but more about how they use their phones, and when they are texting.
Sexting is a very complex issue. As a result, it is very hard to offer guidance on how best to manage these situations. The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children policy talks about that there are four roles to every sexting case: the individual seen in the picture, someone who took the photo, the distributor(s) of the photo, and the recipient(s) of the picture. In some cases one person may assume more than one of these roles (e.g., a child takes a sexually explicit photo, 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 think about the intent and motivation of each of the parties under different circumstances.
The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children suggests parents monitor cell phone use. A practical technological solution available for parents and guardians to discover what kids are doing~what’s going on with their teens} is mobile monitoring technology.
Renowned rights attorney Gloria Allred addressed the legal consequences of “sexting” that parents and teens may ignore:
Youth involved in “sexting” behavior – those that exchange sexually explicit images, 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 stigma that could haunt them the rest of their lives.
Not only do teens who conducting “sexting” face the {very real prospect of criminal prosecution and the prospects of going to jail and/or probation, which will potentially remain on their criminal record for the indefinite future, they also face the prospect of the possibility of being required by the Court to register as sex offenders.~This label has [terrible~horrific] consequences for teens including [required~mandated] reporting of the sex offender in various public records and very burdensome notification requirements that the sex offender must comply with – which may remain with the sex offender for the rest of his/her life.}
Sexting can be against the law. Parents have responsibility to do something about it. Particularly when low cost solutions can be ordered over the internet. A very good 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 an online account for archive and review is PhoneBeagle.
Follow this link if you are interested in Cell Phone 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 .
