Boarding Schools for Girls

Sending nude pictures to friends via cell phone is uncommon among very young teenagers, according to a new study by the Pew Internet Project.

• Researchers found that only 6 percent of children ages 12 to 13 years old said they had received a "sext" message, and 4 percent said they had sent one.
• Among 17-year-olds, 30 percent have received such messages, and 8 percent have sent them.

In a Dec. 15 article on the Pew website, Amanda Lenhart, author of the study, wrote that "sext messages" are being used as "romantic currency" among teenagers.

"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," Lenhart wrote.

Lenhart and other experts warn that there are legal issues around sending text messages. For example, even young teenagers can face child pornography charges when they distribute nude pictures of themselves.

Labels: middle school, sexting

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About 15 percent of teenagers say they've been sent nude or nearly nude photos on their cell phones, and 4 percent admit to sending such sexually explicit messages. Whether your teenager admits to "sexting" or not, there are steps you can take to protect her.

Nancy Shute addressed this topic in a Dec. 17 article on the website of U.S. News & World Report:

Remind kids that all photos can go public. Explain to your children that theres no guarantee that images they send will remain private. The consequences can go far beyond embarrassment.

Cincinnati teen Jesse Logan committed suicide in 2008 after a nude photo shed sent to a boyfriend was circulated at her school.

Another teenager was convicted of transmitting child pornography after he sent nude images of his girlfriend to her parents, grandparents and friends. These are extreme examples of course, but even if sexting doesnt result in such dire consequences, it can still ruin a childs reputation.

Talk to your daughter about the dangers of sexting, and monitor her cell phone and social networking use.

Labels: sexting

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A study that was sponsored by Cox Communications found that teenage cyberbullying and "sexting" were a bit less common than adults might think and previous studies have found.

The new survey, performed by Harris Interactive, involved 655 teenagers ages 13 to 18 years old.

Cyberbullying, defined as harassment, embarrassment, or threats online or by text message, was common. About one third of the teams in the study experienced it, engaged in it, or knew of people who had done it.

Sexting was defined as sending sexually suggestive e-mails or text with nude or nearly nude photos. Only nine percent of the teens had sent such a message, although 17 percent had received one, and three had forwarded one. Other studies indicated that 20 percent of teenagers were sexting.

The majority of teens told researchers that they understand that posting personal information or photographs of themselves on the Internet is unsafe. Nevertheless, 62 percent did post pictures of themselves, 50 percent shared their real age, 45 percent named their school, and 41 percent gave the city where they live.

Labels: cyber-bullying, sexting

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