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A recently published report by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy indicates 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 using mobile phone SMS text messages or by posting on the web. Teen girls are slightly 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.

The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center studies point toward a handful of factors that should be causing concern for parents and guardians. These topics are also an opportunity for technology companies. There is growth in the percentage of teens that own mobile phones, the amount of texting they do, and potentially much more serious the percentage of teens that participate in “sexting” – the sending of potentially illegal images or text messages from cell phones.

Why the fuss and bother?  Just innocent fun, youth discovering their emerging sexuality? 

You might want to reconsider.  Sharing a sexually explicit image of someone underage might be a sex crime.  Youth 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 can also affect future employment opportunities, such as those offered in law enforcement and other high-security clearance positions.   In other words, they’re ruining their lives over a little "innocent" fun.

Consider that if a sixteen year old sends a sexting image of themselves – they could be breaking child pornography statues in most states. 

A conviction in felony court for “sexting” will result in other serious consequences.  In addition to the potential jail sentence and/or fine levied by the court, registration may be stipulated with the Sex Offender Registration Board for the next 20 years.  Additionally, the felony court may order the forfeiture and destruction of the computer or digital devices used.

As sending SMS text messages from cellular phones has become a centerpiece in youth social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly troubled about the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of teens.   A recent survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) found that 4% of cell phone owning teenagers between the ages of twelve and seventeen indicate 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 the current vernacular. Furthermore, fifteen percent say they have received such images of someone they already know via text message.

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

By analyzing more than 40,000 monthly US mobile phone bills, Nielsen concluded that American teenagers sent an average of an incredible 3,146 text messages each month during the third quarter 2009.  

Their younger counterparts – tweenagers – from age 9 to 12 sent an average of 1,146 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 mobile phone users collectively was just slightly above 500. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users from age 9 to 12 increased text usage by eight percent and almost doubled their text message volume.

Focus group findings show that sexting happens usually under one of three typical scenarios:  The first, involves exchanges of images only between two romantic partners;
the next, lists exchanges between partners that are then shared with other people; followed by, exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where often one {party hopes to be}.

Teenagers were interviewed and gave Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report a variety of explanations behind the motivation 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 establishing a relationship.   Sensitive images are also passed along to other people “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”

Teenagers also described to researchers the peer pressure to share these types of pictures.  Not surprisingly the report also reveals that teens who are more intense users of  cell phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images.  For these teens, the phone has become such a common means for communication and a variety of content that doing without it is unlikely.

The combination of risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teenage years mixed with constant connection via cellular 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 increase as the avid user population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to stay in contact with them.  Current SMS users are expected to 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 kids then you’re probably not surprised by the usage numbers. But chances are you’re also either in denial that your teenagers are involved in sexting, or you’re actively seeking solutions to the problem. In all probability most parents don’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 will land them in the poorhouse, Nielsen research indicates the average cost of a single text message is just one cent.  The real issue affecting families 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 complicated issue.  As a result, it is very hard to offer guidance on how best to handle 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, someone  who took the image, the distributor(s) of the photo, and the recipient(s) of the image.  In some cases one person may assume more than one of these roles (e.g., a youth 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 think about the intent and motivation of each of the parties in every situation.

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

Renowned rights attorney Gloria Allred addressed the legal penalties of “sexting” that parents and teens may ignore:
Youth participating in “sexting” activities – those that transmit sexually inappropriate photos, 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 disgrace that could haunt them the rest of their lives
Not only do teens who participating in “sexting” face the risk of criminal prosecution and the prospects of prison 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 stop 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 Phone GPS 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 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