Sexting Could be a Sex Crime
Be Responsible or Let your Kid Ruin Their Life – Sexting is a Potential Sex Crime
A recently published study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy indicates that about 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 using mobile phone text messaging or by posting on the internet. 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.
Recent reports from The Nielsen Company and the Pew Research Center point out a handful of factors that should be troubling to parents and guardians. These topics are also an opportunity for software solutions companies. There is a rise in the number of teenagers that use cellular phones, the amount of texting they do, and potentially much more serious the percentage of youths that are occupied with “sexting” – the sending of potentially illegal images or text messages from cell phones.
What’s the fuss? Just innocent fun, adolescents exploring their emerging sexuality?
You might want to reconsider. Sending a sexually explicit picture of someone underage is a sex crime. Young people are being arrested, convicted and having to register as sex offenders. They are gambling with more than emotional distress and humiliation, charges of sexual misconduct can result in getting suspended and expelled from school, losing scholarships, and losing jobs. A felony conviction may also affect future employment opportunities, such as those offered in law enforcement and other high-security clearance positions. In other words, ruining their lives over a little “innocent” fun.
There isn’t anything innocent about it. Consider that if a sixteen year old sends a sexting photo of themselves – they could be violating child pornography statues in most states.
A conviction in criminal court for “sexting” can easily result in other serious consequences. In addition to the potential jail sentence and/or fine imposed by a judge, they may be required to register with the Sex Offender Registration Board for the next 20 years. Furthermore, the criminal court may order the surrender and destruction of the computer or digital devices used.
As sending SMS text messages from cell phones has become a focus in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly anxious about the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of young people. A fresh survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) concluded that four percent of cell phone owning teens between age 12 and 17 indicate they have transmitted sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via SMS text messages. This activity is typically known as “sexting” in today’s vernacular. Furthermore, fifteen percent say they have received such images of someone they actually know by way of 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 teens transmit an unbelievable average of 10 SMS text messages per hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and probably a lot during school too!
By evaluating more than forty thousand monthly US mobile cellular bills, Nielsen determined that American teenagers sent an average of an inconceivable 3,146 texts each month during Q3 2009.
Their younger counterparts – tweenagers – from age 9 to 12 sent about 1,100 texts every month. That that averages out to about four every hour they were in school or not sleeping. To put that in perspective, the average number of monthly texts sent by all cellular users collectively was just slightly above five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users from age 9 to 12 increased messaging usage by 8% just about doubling the quantity of text messages.
Pew Research points out that sexting occurs most often during one of three typical scenarios: The first, involves exchanges of images just 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 with one person hoping there will be one.
Teens were interviewed and gave researchers a variety of explanations surrounding the impulse 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 establishing a relationship. Sensitive images are also passed along to friends “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”
Teenagers also shared with researchers the pressure they feel to share sexual pictures. Not surprisingly the report revealed that teens who are more intense users of mobile phones are more likely to to be sent inappropriate images. For these young people, the phone has become such a common means for communication and a variety of content that turning it off is unlikely.
The combination of risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teen years mixed with regular connection using cell 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 (they can’t possibly use them more can they?!?) Nielsen forecasts that overall text messaging usage will grow as the heavy text messaging demographic ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to keep in contact with them. Current SMS users will continue to text extensively and as tweenagers age they will increase usage. The average number of text messages per user has increased every year, and there is room for growth.
If you’ve got kids then in all likelihood not shocked by the usage numbers. But chances are you’re also either in denial that your kids are involved in sexting, or you’re actively seeking solutions to the problem. While parents may fume that all the texts their teens and tweens are sending will land them in the poorhouse, Nielsen research shows 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 has more to do with how they use their phones, and when they are using them.
Sexting is a very complicated topic. As a result, it is very hard to offer guidance on how best to manage these situations. The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children policy talks about that there are four roles to every sexting case: someone seen in the image, the individual who took the image, the distributor(s) of the image, and the recipient(s) of the image. In some cases one person may assume more than one of these roles (e.g., a child takes a sexually explicit photo, of herself and sends it to a friend). 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 in every situation.
The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children advocates parents monitor cell phone use. A workable technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what their kids are doing is cell phone software.
Sexting can be illegal. Parents are responsible to stop it. Especially considering low cost solutions can be ordered over the internet. A really great software package that includes remote control of device settings, and combines Cell Phone Tracking with SMS text message, Call Log, MMS multi-media message monitoring, and a web account for storage and review is PhoneBeagle.
