Sexting
"Sexting" is a term coined by the American media[Citation needed] to describe the use of text messaging for sexual purposes - sending nude or suggestive pictures, sexual messages, and so on. It is essentially a technologically updated version of the "I'll show you mine..." game. The trend has worried many; while some continue to be horrified by young people's sexuality, most take issue with the implications of this electronic form of teenage sexuality. The most publicized sexting cases have involved pictures (originally intended for one person) that are circulated among school populations, prompting many to speculate that such pictures (often classified as child pornography) eventually make their way to the internet.
The internet, of course, is an old friend of those who object to child sexuality. The standard arguments regarding internet content have been applied to sexting: nothing will stay private, everything is permanent, nothing is truly anonymous, and everyone could be a predator.
The "sexting" meme hit the British media in the August of 2009.[1]
Frequency
A study carried out in 2018 by the Journal of the American Medical Association Paediatrics [2] showed that 25% of teens had received a text message with sexual content. Some specific findings of the study are that older teens are more likely to receive or send a sext and that frequency has been increasing over the past decade, which is probably linked to smartphone ownership in between teens.
The study did not bother trying to find out if the effects of sexting for teens are negative or positive, the few existing studies that have looked into teens sexting experience point out at sexting being a positive effect within an existing relationship and a bad experience when sexting was non consensual and used for harassment, bullying or blackmail.
Legal Action
Legal consequences of sexting remain murky. Phillip Alpert, 18, was convicted for sending child pornography and forced to register as a sex offender after he sent nude photographs of his 16-year-old girlfriend to her friends and family. He has since been kicked out of college, lost many friends, and has had trouble finding a job. [3]
A Pennsylvania case, however, had a much different outcome. The case involved two photos of three teenage girls (one with bras on, one with exposed breasts). A district attorney attempted to force the girls to participate in a "re-education" program, threatening child pornography charges. With the help of the ACLU, a federal judge ruled that the district attorney could not charge the girls with the production of child pornography.
In May 2009, the Missouri Senate amended an omnibus crime bill, potentially making sexting a class B misdemeanor, though the minor would not have to register as a sex offender. [4]
Jesse Logan
Jessica Logan, an 18-year-old American girl, committed suicide in July 2008, after having images of her nude body circulated at her school. The media - and Jesse's mother, Cynthia Logan - have singled out the photos as the cause of Jesse's suicide, and now uphold Jesse as what can happen from sexting.[Citation needed]
In May 2009, Senators Bob Menendez and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz introduced The Safety Internet Act. The act proposes to provide funding for non-profit organizations concerned with internet safety, in order to allow such organizations to work with schools and integrate internet safety into classroom curricula.[5] Cynthia Logan attended the press conference, and stressed that her daughter's school did not take action.
References
- ↑ The Guardian: You don't know what sexting is?
- ↑ Teen Sexting Study: What Else You Need To Know Before Freaking Out
- ↑ 'Sexting' lands teen on sex offender list - CNN.com Retrieved September 25, 2018
- ↑ Missouri Senate Wants Law Prohibiting Teen Sexting | News Blog Retrieved September 25, 2018
- ↑ Congress to push for education on 'sexting' - CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs Retrieved September 25, 2018
