newtaxblog.com

A recent study from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy suggests that over 20% of teens (ages 13-19) and a hard to fathom 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 on the web. 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 suggestive photos of themselves.

The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center reports show several factors that should be troubling to parents and guardians. These topics are also an opportunity for technology companies. There is an increase in the percentage of teenagers that own cell phones, the amount of texting they do, and potentially much more serious the number of young people that participate in “sexting” – the sending of provocative images or text messages from mobile phones.

What's the fuss?  Just innocent fun, youth discovering their emerging sexuality? 

You might want to reconsider.  Sending a sexually explicit photo of a child might be a sex crime.  Teens are being arrested, convicted and having to register as sex offenders.  They are risking 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 may also affect future employment opportunities, including law enforcement and other high-security clearance positions.

Keep in mind if a young teen sends a sexting image of themselves – they could be violating child pornography statues in most states. 

Getting convicted in criminal court for “sexting” may result in 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 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 teens.   A new research study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) concluded that 4% of cell phone 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 activity is typically known as “sexting” in today’s slang. Furthermore, 15% say they have received these kinds of images images of someone they actually know via SMS.

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 teenagers send an unimaginable average of ten text messages every hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and most likely a lot during their classes too!

By studying more than 40,000 monthly US mobile telecom bills, Nielsen concluded that American teens sent an average of an inconceivable 3,146 text messages every month during Q3 2009.  

Their younger counterparts from age 9 to 12 sent about 1,100 text messages each month.   That equates to four every hour they were in school or not sleeping.  In comparison, the average number of monthly texts sent by all cellular users collectively was a little more than five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users from age 9 to 12 increased SMS usage by 8% and almost doubled their text message volume.

Pew Research points out that sexting occurs most often under one of three specific scenarios:  The first, involves sharing 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}.

Teens were interviewed and provided 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 images 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 pictures.  Not surprisingly the report revealed that teenagers that are intensive users of  cell phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images.  For these youths, the phone has become such an important conduit for communication and content of all kinds that doing without it is nearly unthinkable.

The desire for risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teen years mixed with routine connection using 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 SMS usage will grow as the heavy text messaging population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to stay in contact with them.  Current SMS users will continue to text extensively and as tweenagers become teenagers they are in all probability going to follow the trends of texting established by current teens.  The average number of text messages per user has increased every year, and there is room for growth.

If you’ve got teenagers then you’re probably not surprised by the usage numbers. But chances are you’re also either in denial that your teens are involved in sexting, or you’re actively seeking solutions to the problem. In all probability most parents don’t believe their teens 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 will land them in the poorhouse, Nielsen analysis indicates 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 an  extremely complex topic.  As a result, it is very hard to offer advice on how best to handle these situations.  The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children policy talks about that there are four roles to every sexting case: the person seen in the image, the person  who took the image, 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 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 under different circumstances.

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

Renowned rights lawyer Gloria Allred addressed the legal costs of “sexting” that parents and teens may not know:
Teens occupied with “sexting” actions – those that transmit sexually explicit images, are at risk of potential felony 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 follow them for the next twenty years
Not only do teens who occupied with “sexting” face the risk 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.

Sexting can be illegal.  Parents are responsible to do something about it.  Especially considering low cost solutions can be ordered online.     A really great software package that includes remote control of mobile phone settings, and combines Cell Phone Tracking  with SMS text message, Call Log,  MMS multi-media message monitoring, and an online 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 .

 

 

 

 

Tags: cell phone monitoring, mobile phone monitoring, parental monitoring, sexting, texting