These are the serious risks of teen sexting

The new generations are those who have been most exposed technology from a very young age.

Today it is more common than ever to see children and adolescents owning their own cell phones, using them with great skill and staying glued to the screen for hours.

Experts have been warning for years that heavy use of technological devices is linked to negative consequences on children’s emotional and social development. And in the specific case of teenagers can lead to a practice that involves several short and long term risks: sexting .

Sexting is a term that refers to receiving and sending sexual messages, photos or videos via a cell phone. This can happen through instant messaging apps, social media, email, and other online communication channels. The concept comes from the combination of the English words “sex” and “texting” (text messages).

This practice is experiencing a significant increase among adults, and at the same time among adolescents. According to a study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in 2018, 1 in 7 adolescents have sent sexual content, 1 in 4 received it, and 1 in 8 forwarded it, without the sender’s permission. origin.

Causes of sexting include the desire to conquer someone, reaffirmation of self-esteem, and social pressure.

Kate Eshleman, child psychologist at Cleveland Clinic assures that these are just the dangers of sexting.

1. Permanence of content. Every time you send sexual messages, photos, or videos, you are allowing someone to keep that content forever and it will eventually stay on a device or on the Internet. If there are regrets, they cannot be “unsent.” In apps like Snapchat, which promise that posted images will be deleted after a certain time, it is possible to take a screenshot.

2. Loss of control over content. Some people think that nothing bad will happen by sending sexual content to people they trust, but that is not the case. You immediately lose control of what may result and run the risk of it being misused or spreading to strangers beyond the original recipient. According to the child psychologist, this can be used by others for harassment, blackmail and sexual coercion.

3. Legal issues. Eshleman describes that teen sexting can trigger legal repercussions for anyone who appears in the content and anyone who interacted with it. Indeed, in most places, the possession and distribution of sexual content by minors under the age of 18 is illegal, even if consensual.

When adolescents face one or all of these risks simultaneously, they may also see affected their physical and mental health . Stress, anxiety, poor academic performance and, in the worst cases, suicide are some of the consequences that could result.

“We often see situations in the media where young people commit suicide because they are being blackmailed or bullied, or because they feel there is no way out of a situation, and all of this can cause significant mental health problems. » says the child psychologist.

Dr. Corinn Cross, spokesperson for the American Pediatric Association, told BBC that Teenagers generally don’t focus on the future consequences their actions might bring. .

For this reason, this is where parents should help them see these effects clearly, so that if they encounter sexting in the future, they will remember the conversation.

Having a conversation about sexuality can be difficult for parents, but not impossible, if you consider a few key things.

1. Speak up before it’s too late . A common mistake adults make is waiting too long to talk to their kids about sexting, the expert says. Because it usually happens at age 12 or older, Cross suggests that age is the ideal age to talk about your risks, because “that’s when they’ll really be able to listen to you.”

2. Show empathy with your children. Cross commented that it might be a mistake to “ban” sexting, as it’s likely they won’t even heed the advice and it will be difficult for them to refuse if the other person they want to send it to loves them. “In any healthy relationship, there are limits. There are things you are comfortable with and others you are not. And you have to decide what it is before entering into a relationship,” advises the doctor.

3. Focus on the consequences. Other experts told British media that parents shouldn’t tell their children whether sexting is bad or good, but rather the effects it could have on their lives. To do this, they recommend telling children and adolescents that as soon as a photo or video of this type is sent, “it has a life of its own” and will forever remain lodged in a corner of cyberspace.

4. Prepare them to withstand pressure. Some teens end up sending sexual photos after being asked to do so multiple times. Faced with this situation, specialists suggest that parents teach their children not to give in to these types of demands, whether on the Internet or in real life.