You might have gotten the call from another parent, who was appalled. Or the school administrator. Or maybe you found out about it yourself. Read some of the racy texts. Ultimately, you caught your teen sexting. Sexting involves the exchange of sexually explicit content, such as messages or photographs, between mobile devices. Interestingly enough, the word was first listed in the dictionary in — around the time smartphones were gaining popularity among teens. So many parents have been, and currently are, in the same situation as you are now. Nevertheless, when it is your child engaged in this interaction, we understand that your emotions may get the better of you. So the first thing to do is to temporarily put your feelings aside.
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Help! My Teen is Sexting.
And most of those who do experience no negative consequences. But for teens who do share sexually explicit images, there are both psychological and legal risks, especially if coercion is involved and the images wind up being distributed beyond their intended audience. Sexting is certainly not just a teen issue, but these tips are specifically for teens and parents of teens.
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Sexting or "sex texting" is sending or getting sexually explicit or suggestive images, messages, or video on a smartphone or through the Internet. Most teens have various ways to get online, Smartphones, tablets, and laptops all can be used in private. It's very easy for teens to create and share personal photos and videos of themselves without their parents knowing about it. Girls may sext as a joke, as a way of getting attention, or because of peer pressure or pressure from guys. Guys sometimes blame "pressure from friends. And teens get some backup for that when lewd celebrity pictures and videos go mainstream. Instead of ruined careers or humiliation, the consequences are often greater fame and reality TV shows. Teens should understand that messages, pictures, or videos sent via the Internet or smartphones are never truly private or anonymous. In seconds they can be out there for all the world to see.
Sexting is making sexually suggestive images and sharing these images using mobile phones or by posting them on the internet and social media. The images might be photographs of yourself or someone else naked or partially naked. You might think that sexting is something risky, dangerous and illegal. For teenagers, sexting is often fun and consensual.
