The more details you can provide, the better! Discuss some of the dangers without fear-mongering Connecting with your child over the hard parts of growing up can make them feel closer to you. Just because sexting wasn’t common for our generation doesn’t mean that we didn’t face social pressures - they were just different. Can you tell me about the pressure to sext at your school?” I felt like if I gave in, I’d be judged by one crowd of people, and if I didn’t get involved, I’d also get judged. “Back in the 1980/90’s, the pressure to was super strong. Relate to the pressures kids may face to sext You can even add something like “My generation would 100% have sent them if we had had phones” to help them feel less like their entire generation is being judged. This question will help your child think critically about how technology has influenced the act of sending and receiving nudes. Why do you think nudes have become so common today with people your age?” Regular film had to be developed at stores like CVS or Walgreens. “When I was growing up, nudes weren’t really a thing, unless someone had a Polaroid camera, because those developed instantly. Conversation Starters Talk about how technology is part of the driving force behind sexting It’s a complicated subject, but it’s important to know what the laws are in your state. When sexting involves minors, it may violate child pornography laws - even if the messages are only exchanged between two kids. Potential legal issuesĭepending on the state where your family lives, your child could face legal consequences for sending or receiving sexts. Later, these pictures are used as “revenge” for breaking off the relationship. These could be pictures taken without the person’s knowledge or with the person’s knowledge during a previous relationship. Revenge porn occurs when someone posts online pornographic materials (video or photographs) of another person without their consent. Shame and embarrassment may lead to teens doing anything to prevent photos from being leaked, including performing sexual acts, paying money, sending additional photos, and more. This is known as sextortion or sexual blackmail, and it can be incredibly dangerous. Once someone has received nudes, they may threaten to send them to family members unless the other person agrees to certain demands. Emotions like regret, shame, and even anxiety and depression can be commonplace after sexts are sent. Sexts are easy to dash off without thinking, but the repercussions can be long-lasting for kids. One of the most obvious - and common - dangers of sexting for kids is that they may not be emotionally ready to handle the exchange of sensitive photos. Teen Sexting: The Dangers and Issues Facing Kids Emotional effects Bark’s 2021 annual report on kids and technology found that 68.97% of tweens and 90.73% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature while online.
But for today’s kids, the order can be reversed - a couple may send nudes before ever meeting in real life! When we were younger, dating usually came before any sort of overtly sexual activity. Have you heard the saying “sexting is the new first base?” For parents, this can be a pretty scary thought.
No matter what, be sure to approach this topic with empathy - recognizing the powerful pressures, anxieties, and influences kids today can experience. For easy reference, we’ve also gathered many of our other blog posts on this topic, so you can learn as much as possible about the hows, whys, and wheres of sexting in the 21st century. That’s why we created some conversation starters to help your family start discussing the different aspects (and dangers) of sexting. It’s so important to start and keep having these types of conversations with your kid, though. This issue is one of the most common concerns for families raising kids in the digital age - and with good reason! But talking about sexting can be super awkward, not to mention stressful and just plain… hard. If you’re worried about your teen sexting, you’re definitely not alone. **This blog post was updated April 8, 2022.**