Sexting is when people send naked pictures or sexual messages over a cell phone or through the Internet. People sext one another because is may seem like a private way to share a sexy picture or message with someone they like or a person they are dating. But, sexting can turn ugly.
Sexting can be a problem because you don’t always know how the pictures or messages could be used by others. It might seem like a private message at first, but pictures and messages can be shared with others very easily. Before you know it, everyone might see a picture of you that you don’t want them to see.
Sending naked pictures or sexual messages sends certain messages about sex. You might send a naked picture to someone to see if they like you or just to get a response, but you should realize that they might interpret a naked picture to mean that you want to have sex. Research has shown that many teens believe sending naked pictures electronically will lead to more sex in real life. It is not really the case that sexting will lead to more sex. You might think sexting is nothing more than an innocent picture or message, but it might be giving other people the wrong idea.
Creating, giving out, or even just having naked pictures of a person less than 18 years old can be considered child pornography. It can be prosecuted as a state or federal felony and could lead to the person having to register as a sex offender. The results can be serious and impact the rest of your life. So before hit send think about the consequences that might happen.
Information cited from the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage and Unplanned Pregnancy
Back to Sex & Technology