Sexting – The Facts

Sexting The Facts

• Sexting involves individuals sending private and personal pictures of themselves online. It also involves sexually suggestive text messages
• Teenage girls participate in sexting for a variety of different reasons. 40% of girls do it as a joke, 34% do it in order to receive positive reinforcement about their bodies and 12% feel pressured to do it
• Although most people think the sexts they send are private (meant only for the eyes of the receiver) research suggests that 17% of the receivers of sexters share the sexts with a friend and 55% share them with more than one individual
• 61% of sexters are pressured into sending nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves
• Over 40% of teenagers have sent sexually suggestive messages online or via text messages
• It is more common for teenage girls to send nude or semi-nude pictures to someone than it is for teenage boys
• 15% of teenagers engaged in sexting behaviour with a complete stranger
• Sexting under the age of 18 can have serious consequences and is considered a form of child pornography. This can result in criminal charges
• Teenagers aged 14 – 17 years old have been found engaging in sexting behaviour and college students aged 18 – 24 have been noted sending nude sexts
• “Sexting is defined by the U.S. court system as “an act of sending sexually explicit materials through mobile phones.” The messages may be text, photo, or video”
• If the receiver of a ‘sext’ message shares the picture on social media it can have serious effects for the sender. Namely, it could lead to depression, being bullied, anxiety, fear of going to school and loss of self-esteem
• If parents what to prevent their children from engaging in sexting behaviour they need to talk with them and explain why it is wrong. In the article Teen sexting statistics, it states, “letting your teens know the legal ramifications of sexting is a good idea. If you let your child know that they can be arrested and charged for the photos and messages they send, they will have a better grasp on how serious sexting really is”