A new study shows that 1/4 of all teens send sext messages (these are racy texts or pictures of private parts), and many parents, including me, are worried about the long term consequences that may come of this. I am concerned for one that my teenager is engaging in a behavior that is too old for her adolescent mind to process, such as being asked for her picture, or that such behavior may have long-term negative consequences that teens are not aware of. Once a text is sent to another phone, the owner of that phone can then send the text to anyone he/she wants to, who then may send that to whomever they want to. This has the possibility to have inappropriate pictures or comments sent around to a whole class before someone is aware. I understand that teens have a curiosity about sex and may act out concerning sex, but may not even understand what the sext is eluding to. Furthermore, a naked picture can be sent around awful fast when someone doesn't want them to. I believe part of the problem is the news surrounding sexting. Tiger Woods, Bret Favre and Tony Parker have all been involved in sexting scandals, but are still visible figures where teens may not see the serious consequences to those actions. Certain phone companies are now posting public service announcements because it has become such a problem.
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/sexting-in-america-the-medium-the-message-and-the-truth-about-teens.html
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I agree totally that sexting is a problem in our teenage society. But i feel somewhat differently about the whole ordeal. I say mitigate the problem right from the source. I am not sure how parents of a current teenager feel but i see absolutely no reason that a child that is still in grade or high school needs to have there own cell phone. I made it through the first 20+ years of my life just fine without the use of a cell phone and im sure my kid wont have the need for one either. At least until he is 18.
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