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Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all? Teenagers naturally ponder this question in their search for self. Alarmingly, many teens are not asking this while simply looking into the mirror. Increasingly, they are asking by sharing compromising photos of themselves with their friends. Of even more concern, these risqué photos can end-up being passed around the Internet; potentially allowing the entire world to view them.
Techno-savvy teens vie for attention by taking inappropriate pictures of themselves and then send them to boyfriends and girlfriends through cell phones or upload them onto social websites. Inappropriate applies not only to nude and semi-nude photos (which many websites do ban), but also to provocative images that portray lightly clad teenagers posing very seductively. Fallout from sharing these images can severely damage a teen’s self-esteem and reputation. Worse yet, they may become a source of personal danger or cause other unforeseen difficulties well into the future.
This phenomena, known as Teen Sexting, is much more prevalent than perhaps parents would like to believe. Some studies suggest that 1 in every 5 teenagers has sent an inappropriate photo of themselves via cell phone or Internet. ABC News has an excellent short video and article, The Truth About Teens Sexting, which addresses this serious problem.
Parents who talk to their teens about the very negative and potentially permanent consequences of “sexting” can hopefully convince them that it is not worth it--before it’s too late.
For more information:
Printable teen cyber safety contract
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