Teens Texting Nude Pics: "Sexting"

A 2008 Nielsen study of 50,000 US cell-phone users found that most people nowadays text more often than they talk. U.S. teens (ages 13 to 17) had the highest levels of text messaging, sending and receiving an average of 1,742 text messages per month. During that same time period, teens made or received an average of just 231 mobile phone calls.

A growing number of teens are ending up in serious trouble for sending racy photos with their cell phones. Police have investigated more than two dozen teens in at least six states this year for sending nude images of themselves in cell phone text messages, which can bring a charge of distributing child pornography. Authorities typically are notified by parents or schools about so-called "sexting."

Of the 2,100 children identified as victims of online porn this year, one-fourth initially sent images themselves. Some did it for fun and others were tricked into it by adults they met online.

While it may be shocking, the practice of "sexting" -- sending nude pictures via text message -- is not unusual, especially for high-schoolers around the country. While the X-rated offerings are usually intended just for a boyfriend or girlfriend, the photos often wind up being shared.

Roughly 20 percent of teens admit to participating in "sexting," according to a nationwide survey by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

A study from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported that 20 percent of 653 teenagers polled said they'd posted nude or seminude pictures of themselves at least once via computer or cell phone.

The dangerous combination of teenagers behaving provocatively and impulsively is not new, but the accessibility to the technology is. With cell phone cameras, they have been handed a tool so easy to use for some it's impossible to pass up.

News reports are increasingly documenting legal repercussions after indecent photo appear online. And attorneys say there are many unanswered questions about whether young people who send their own photos could face prosecution for obscenity or child pornography.

“Sexting” raises legitimate concerns—especially when the images get shared with unintended viewers. But does it mean technology is turning kids into amateur porn stars? Probably not. It does, however, show that sexual experimentation, like everything else, has “gone digital.”

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Comments--

32 comments so far...

1. Give 'em a Jitterbug
Posted by sparky April 15, 09 09:42 AM

2. I don't think this amount of texts for a kid is unusual. My sons can text 3000 messages in just a couple of days. They don't see anything wrong with it because we have unlimited texting but I do! I think it is excessive and can't seem to get them to understand that this is not good and they should be spending their time doing other things. Today, I found 2 messages from girls sent to my 14 year old son at 2 and 3 AM! I am not happy. I told him to tell them to stop or I would call their parents. I will be checking the texting activity the next week or so to make sure it stops. Some of the messages he has received are "chain" messages also......send this to 10 friends in 10 minutes or you will have bad luck! It is crazy and we have to find other things for out kids to do. This is turning their minds to mush!
Posted by Doreen April 15, 09 09:53 AM

3. Yes, my 14-year old texts constantly. I've tried to monitor it, but it's not always that easy. To make matters worse, she receives and sends pics too. I don't know what to do to keep her from getting hurt or doing something that she may regret later.
Posted by Florence April 15, 09 10:33 AM

4. A 13 yr old should not be texting that much. Where are her parents? How are her grades? I think that 13 is way too young to have a cell phone with texting ability. My daughter is 12 an doesn't have a cell phone.
Posted by mom2_2 April 15, 09 10:44 AM

5. my 13 year old daughter racked up $300 in texting (nothing compared to the $600 my sister's daughter did in damage last month). when I cut off her texting privileges with the phone company, she got so mad at me, she reported me to DSS for child abuse. i hate texting.
Posted by Ban Texting April 15, 09 11:57 AM

6. For those of you who are so concerned about how much your child texts, tell them to stop or they will lose privileges. If they do not stop, follow through. If you are at wits end about how much your child texts, and can think of no way to stop it. I would guess that you are more worried about being liked by your child than parenting your child.
Or, just call the cell phone provider and have texting turned off on their line.
And yes, I am a parent.
Posted by bostondad April 15, 09 12:02 PM

7. DOREEN - YOU ARE ALLOWING YOUR SON'S BRAIN TO TURN TO MUSH. 3000 MESSAGES IN A DAY - YOU SOUND SO PROUD! HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE THAT ATTACHED TO HIS PHONE!
Posted by SOMEONE April 15, 09 12:05 PM

8. bo-dad...right on!! it's that simple..be a parent..set the rules..too many supposed parents these days want to be a buddy..that's not what kids need nor is it what they're looking for believe it or not.
Posted by man-up April 15, 09 12:19 PM

9. Am I the only one wondering why kids need to text at all? Having a cell phone seems privilege enough, and I would hope that most kids have cells primarily for use in the event of an emergency. Before cell phones came along we all managed pretty well without chatting and texting 24/7. I've had texting kids slam right into me more than once in the grocery store - totally oblivious to anything other than their device. Aside from keeping up with the Joneses, why do kids need all this stuff? And how do parents afford it? And why, if you allow your kids to have all these expensive gadgets (and maybe even pay for them yourself), do you complain about them?
Posted by Bewildered April 15, 09 12:30 PM

10. Amen Boston Dad - you know how to parent. It sounds like Ban Texting is having a hard time controlling the 13 year old. Get a grip!
Posted by Situation April 15, 09 12:42 PM

11. My 14 year old sister recently got a phone with a full keyboard and her texting has increased to around 3000 per month and she also uses over 3000 minutes per month (nights and weekends mostly). I'm 20, and probably reach 500ish texts per month, but phone calls are usually short and mostly related to work. It seems a bit ridiculous how the younger teens are these days.
Posted by hbk April 15, 09 12:43 PM

12. This doesn't surprise me given that teens walk around with these things in hand all day. Parents really need to crack down on this. I get keeping it on your person, but how many teens to do you see texting their way through holiday celebrations? When I see a niece or nephew texting while they are in houseful of relatives I want to scream. I love watching the teens amble through the mall texting while ignoring the Mom/Dad who is footing the bill for both the cell phone and the shopping. The worst scene I ever saw though, was this spring when I came upon a classic American scene of teens hanging at the local ice cream stand. Instead of goofing or flirting they sat in silence staring at their cell phones. It was bizarre. This generation won't be able to reproduce unless they invent a way to do it via text because they aren't developing any social skills whatsoever.
Posted by PatD April 15, 09 12:50 PM

13. Ban Texting - If your daughter called DSS on you for cutting off her texting privileges you should have called the local news stations and let them do a story on that.
What did DSS say?
Posted by me April 15, 09 12:56 PM

14. I have to admit, I'm stunned about the DSS call. What did they say? And what would you tell other parents in a similar situation? -- LMA
Posted by LMA April 15, 09 01:08 PM

15. Hi
You are Parents don't know what to do? Hello !!!How is paying for the cell phone bills .Get a reality Check all of you Boy cut the the cell phones .I had kids when the cell phone came on board well guess what ,They did not have one until the went to College and then even they had to pay for it by getting a job !! .If they had to pay for all the texting guess what ????? That is the problem in this country .We give every thing so easy to the kids with out having to work for it Take your life and yiour kids life back into your hands
Posted by E.Miller April 15, 09 01:46 PM

16. I discovered my 14 year old daughter had 7000 texts in one month -thank you Verizon wireless online - we have an unlimited plan so I never paid attention. That was 200+ texts per day outside of school and sleeping time. My husband and I told her the number of texts had to go down significantly or texting would be shut off and she would be left with just voice. Two months later we are at 2,000 and still working on it. On another note ..during Christmas dinner which my 80 year old mother in law prepared a friend's 12 year old was texting at the table during dinner. Are these children going to be able to carry on a live conversation?
Posted by astonished April 15, 09 01:54 PM

17. RE: DSS. The way she did it was to tell her principal I beat her (not true). He is a mandated reporter, so had to file report with DSS. They ruled it in and did the investigation. My house was VERY clean. They saw right through the situation (had seen it before) and dismissed the thing. What would I tell other parents? Kids are very system smart these days. I have heard of this kind of thing happening from other parents. Would I give my kids texting again? Not in a heartbeat. It's stupid and completely unnecessary.
Posted by Ban Texting April 15, 09 01:57 PM

18. Our daughter racked up 9000 texts in one month and 4000 minutes talking. We traded her phone in for a "go phone". If she goes over the limit, the phone doesn't work at all until time is added to it. Was she happy? NO. Will she survive? I think she will. She can get a job and pay for more minutes AND her car insurance. Everyone wins!
I think a "go phone" is a brilliant compromise! What a great idea! -- LMA
Posted by sueandmax April 15, 09 02:07 PM

19. My year old daughter also has a major prolem with texting. Her grades were falling and she almost failed her classes . We took her phone away and she tried to tell us she was being "abused and cut-off from the world." When she got her phone back it broke shortly after. My husband I purposely did not have it fixed for over a month to prove a point. It was amazing "she realized she could survive". Her grades came up and now that it is fixed she realizes that she cannot text during dinner, homework etc... Hopefully, we are on the right track because we set consequences and are following through with them no matter what kind of tantrum is thrown!!!! Worried mom
Posted by Melanie Smith April 15, 09 02:12 PM

20. Dont buy them anything to text on. . My kids (15 and 11 ) dont have them.
They dont even have a cell phone and they get along just fine.
Simple.
Have them use a phone and restrict that if you can.
Posted by John April 15, 09 02:24 PM

21. I have to agree with John. My husband and I opted for the "go phone" because this child has been indulged from the beginning. She lives with her mother (I am the stepmother) and my husband wants her to have a phone to be able to contact him. (She didn't make the effort even before we traded phones). I raised five children and allowed them to have pay-as-you-go phones when they started to drive and insisted they have them with them in the car for emergencies. I don't agree with 12 or 13 yr. olds having phones. These kids have to have boundaries when they're toddlers because if you don't teach them values until they are teens, it is much harder. Kids aren't being taught how to manage time or money.
Posted by sueandmax April 15, 09 02:49 PM

22. My 14yo texts, talks on her cell & house phone & some IMs - sometimes all at the same time. This is done after school, & before bedtime (9:30pm) Last month she had over 4000 texts, however, that includes incoming texts also. (Her father plus several other friends live several states away.) HOWEVER, she is an A+ student, active in sports & church, and she knows if her grades slip, she can kiss her cell phone, house phone & any other communication good-bye. She also knows that if she does text at school or gets any disciplinary action for misuse of electronic devices, I will not support her and she will also loose privileges at home. She understands this & has no problems with any of our rules.
When she goes to bed her phone is off but I check her phone's text messages after she's asleep.
The bottom line is - I am the parent. I am in charge. Oh - she also has her chores to do at home. Yes, we do have unlimited text messaging, and I do ask at times who she is texting to and what they are discussing.
Posted by g05 April 15, 09 02:58 PM

23. This means the girl is not doing homework, taking gym or doing sports, etc. It also means she is addicted. I'd be worried if I were the parents. I'd also take the phone from the girl and let her figure out how to interact in real life face to face situations where you get to see facial expressions, and have opportunities to expand your discussion in a deeper more meaningful way.
Posted by karvictho April 15, 09 03:01 PM

24. Texting is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the parents we talk to don't even know how to find the myspace and facebook accounts these young teens have. Kids as young as 12 figure out how to use fake names and set up additional hotmail accounts that parents don't even know about. One 12 yr old I know had a lovely myspace account (saying she was 14) which was set to private and looked very innocent. She also had one stating she was 21 yrs old with a variation of her name that would make a sailor blush. You would be amazed what you would learn if you use parental software showing exactly what your child sends and receives on your computer.
Posted by sueandmax April 15, 09 03:28 PM

25. A few kids in my daughter's 3rd grade class have cell phones. These are 7-8 year old kids! And one brags that it's an iPhone!
My daughter must ask once every week or so when she can get a cell phone! My niece just got her first one at 13 and that is considered old these days.
Posted by Jack D April 15, 09 04:42 PM

26. Technology is both the problem and the solution here. Verizon, Sprint, AT+T, and T-Mobile all have family plans that allow parents to control the number of texts and phone minutes kids have, as well as when they can use them and who they can contact. Prepaid plans are another option. Kajeet, a prepaid service, even lets parents control who pays for what. If your kid has to pay for texts, they will pay close attention to how many they send.
When I was a kid, a cell phone would have been handy more than once, including an incident in 5th grade when school let out early, and they wouldn't let us call our parents. I don't have kids, but if I was going to get a cell phone for a kid, I would either go with a Jitterbug (which lets them call 5 pre-programmed numbers and 911), or Kajeet.
Posted by Liz April 15, 09 05:30 PM

27. So many parents want to be "freinds" with their kids that is not what we are they have plenty of friends they need parents to set boundaires and when it gets down to it to know we are looking out for them. When my "step" daughter had 7000 texts I beleived it could become an addiction - the day we gave the or else ultimatum was when I noticed from the online record that she had texted almost the entire time she was marching (she in the HS band) in the Veterans Day parade - two of her grandfathers were veterans not to mention all the young people who have given their lives for our coutry recently - that was an emotional lesson but one which she took to heart. Recently we found out that she had a facebook - I asked my 21 year old very responsbile neice to go on and put on whatever safeuards and privacy settings that were appropriate. And every so often I ask my stepdaughter to go on facebook so the two of us can look at it together - I don't do it to invade her privacy - I do it in the hopes that she is constantly reminded that we are here and to remind her that whatever she puts out there is permanent. The parental software is a good idea is there a particular name?
Posted by astonished April 15, 09 05:59 PM

28. There are several types of parental software. There are also programs which will record any keystrokes on your computer. Search online or talk to someone at a store like Best Buy and they will show you what would work best for what you want to monitor.
Posted by sueandmax April 16, 09 05:00 PM

29. Texting is the only issue I have had so far parenting my 12 year old son. Good student, good athlete and most importantly a great kid. However, his texting is out of control. I keep hearing that all of his other friends text more than he does, and their parents don't give them a hard time. Which unfortuantely is true. My son has more than 70 "friends" listed as his contacts and he probably texts on average 3,000 per month. It's such an unnecessary distraction and an addiction. At the very least, I am limiting his text messages to 1,000 per month ( yes , I know it's pathetic) or completely cutting him off first thing tomorrw. Us parents need to collectively dicide to limit ths iactivity and not assume this activity is ok because that is just the way their ggeneration communicates with each other.
Posted by Mark April 17, 09 07:28 PM

30. I text about 1,000 texts a month on average and I am a 15 years old high school student. That girl has a little too much time on her hands to text 14,000+ messages in a month.
Tia, thank you for weighing in! It's great to read your perspective on this. I totally agree with you! -- LMA
Posted by Tia April 19, 09 07:23 PM

31. my parents are like freaks and cut off my texting for no reason and I always call at&t & try to sound all manly like my dad and they just put it back on everytime hahaha my parents are stupid.
I'm in 8th grade btw, and if you text THAT much... you seriously must have no life like no joke bro :)
Posted by julie April 21, 09 07:04 PM

32. Well I'm in 6th grade. Yes Right now I have 2000+ texts on my cellphone but its almost the end of the bill session. Luckily I got unlimited texting from Verizon!! I am actually very social. i always talk to my friends at school, well maybe too much!! I think texting is a good way to communicate with friends!! Maybe some reasons why theres so many texts is because a lot of them go like...wats up?......nmu......nm eitherr.......soooo........idk.......yupp.......watta wanna talk about?......... and so on but also convos can come up too. lol.

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