Ignore This and You Might Ruin Your Kid’s Life - Sexting is a Potential Sex Crime

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 images of themselves either via cell phone text messaging or by posting online. Teenage girls are a little more likely to do this than boys and a very disturbing 11% of the young teen girls (ages 13-16) admitted to sending inappropriate photos of themselves.

Recent studies  from The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center point out several factors that should be causing concern for parents and guardians. These issues are also an opportunity for technology companies. There is an increase in the percentage of young people that use cellular phones, the amount of texting they do, and potentially much more serious the percentage of young people that are occupied with “sexting” – the sending of potentially illegal images or text messages from mobile phones.

What’s the fuss?  Just innocent fun, adolescents exploring their emerging 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 risking 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 can 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.  {Keep in mind|Consider} that if a sixteen year old sends a sexting image of themselves - they could be breaking child pornography statues in most states. 

Getting convicted in criminal court for “sexting” can have other serious consequences.  In addition to the potential jail sentence and/or fine imposed by the court, they may be required to register with the Sex Offender Registration Board for the next 20 years.  Furthermore, the criminal court may order the surrender and destruction of the computer or digital devices used.

As sending text messages from cell phones has become a centerpiece in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly worried about the role of mobile phones in the sexual lives of youths.   A new research study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) found that four percent of cell-owning teenagers between the ages of 12-17 say they have transmitted sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging.  This practice is commonly referred to “sexting” in today’s slang. Furthermore, fifteen percent say they have received such images of someone they actually know by way of text message.

According to research from market researchers The Nielsen Company (blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/under-aged-texting-usage-and-actual-cost/) American youths transmit an inconceivable average of 10 SMS text messages every hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and most likely a lot during their classes too!

By studying over than forty thousand monthly US mobile mobile bills, Nielsen determined that American teens sent an average of an inconceivable 3,146 text messages each month during Q3 2009.  

Their younger counterparts – tweenagers - aged nine to twelve sent an average of 1,146 text messages each 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 cell phone users combined was just slightly above five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users ages 9-12 years old increased SMS usage by eight percent and almost doubled their text message volume.

Focus group findings show that sending provocative images happens usually during one of three typical scenarios:  The first, involves exchanges of images just 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}.

Teens were interviewed and gave Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report various reasons behind the motivation to participate in 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 pictures are also passed along to other people “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”

Teenagers also shared with researchers the peer pressure to share sexual images.  Not surprisingly the report also reveals that teenagers that are intensive users of  mobile phones are more likely to to be sent inappropriate images.  For these teenagers, the phone has become such an important conduit for communication and content of all kinds that doing without it is unlikely.

The combination of risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teenage years mixed with regular 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 the indications that per user usage has peaked, Nielsen predicts that overall text messaging usage will grow 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 are expected to continue to use texting extensively and as tweenagers age they will increase usage.  The average number of text messages per user has increased every year, and there is room for growth.

If you’ve got teens then in all likelihood not shocked 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 don’t believe their kids 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 concerning parents 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 complex topic.  As a result, it is very difficult to offer advice 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 picture, the person  who took the picture, the distributor(s) of the picture, and the recipient(s) of the photo.  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 friend). 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 intentions and motives of each of the parties under different circumstances.

The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children advocates parents monitor cell phone use.  A practical technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what kids are doing~what’s going on with their teenagers}  is cell phone software. 

Sexting can be against the law.  Parents have responsibility to stop it.  Especially when low cost solutions can be ordered online.     A really great software package that includes remote control of cell phone settings, and combines Cell Phone 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 works with with BlackBerry  and  Android  Smartphones,.    Visit this link for more information regarding the latest software for 
Parental Monitoring of Mobile Phones .