{"id":1427,"date":"2010-09-10T13:45:55","date_gmt":"2010-09-10T06:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.thewellconnectedhome.com\/blog\/?p=1427"},"modified":"2012-04-14T01:14:01","modified_gmt":"2012-04-13T18:14:01","slug":"teens-cellphones-sexting-a-primer-part-iv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/teens-cellphones-sexting-a-primer-part-iv\/","title":{"rendered":"Teens &#038; Cellphones: Sexting &#8211; A Primer Part IV"},"content":{"rendered":"<address><span style=\"color: #888888;\">by Lori Cunningham<\/span><\/address>\n<address><span style=\"color: #888888;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/address>\n<address>\u00a0<\/address>\n<address><strong>This\u00a0is the final post of a<\/strong><strong> four part series entitled Teens &amp; Cellphones \u2013 A Primer. The previous posts, <\/strong><a title=\"Teens &amp; Cellphones - A Primer Part I\" href=\"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/18\/teens-cellphones-a-primer-part-i\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Teens &amp; Cellphones \u2013 A Primer Part I<\/strong><\/a><strong>, <\/strong><a title=\"Teens &amp; Cellphones: Manners A Primer Part II\" href=\"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/26\/teens-cellphones-manners-a-primer-part-ii\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Teens &amp; Cellphones: Manners A Primer Part II<\/strong><\/a><strong>, <a title=\"Have you covered cellphone safety with your teen?\" href=\"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/2010\/09\/02\/teens-cellphones-safety-a-primer-part-iii\/\" target=\"_blank\">Teens &amp; Cellphones: Safety \u2013 A Primer Part III<\/a>, are published. <\/strong><\/address>\n<address><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/address>\n<address>\u00a0<\/address>\n<div><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Girl on cellphone on bed (426x640)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-on-bed-426x640-199x300.jpg?resize=199%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Teens and sexting - a closer look\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" \/><\/div>\n<div><strong>Sexting <\/strong>occurs when a person sends a text message to another\u00a0that contains a message of a sexual nature or a sexually suggestive, nude, or partially nude picture or video.\u00a0 Sexting is gaining popularity amongst adults and teens.\u00a0 LG Mobile Phones conducted a <a title=\"More info from LG\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lg.com\/us\/mobile-phones\/text-education\/homeroom.jsp\" target=\"_blank\">survey <\/a>in 2009 asking teens and their parents\u00a0a number of questions about their cellphones.\u00a0 LG found:<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>What Teens are Sexting<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>43% of teens admitted to using some form of sexting<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> 28% of parents admitted to using some form of sexting<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>22% of teens have received a naked picture \u2013 12% of them forwarded it<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>41% of teens have received, sent, or forwarded a text that said something sexual<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em> Only 11% of parents thought their teen had ever sexted<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>In a According to a study  on teens the National Campaign to\u00a0Prevent Teen Pregnancy\u00a0conducted in 2008:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>20% of teens admitted to sending naked or near naked pictures of themselves in text messages<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>39% of teens admitted to sending sexually suggestive messages to someone (notice 39% in 2008, but 43% in 2009 \u2013 this alarming trend is growing)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>33% of teen boys and\u00a025% of teen girls said they have had nude\/semi-nude pics \u2014originally meant to be private\u2014shared with them <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Why Teens <\/strong><strong>Sext<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When asked why teens are sending sexting messages, the top reasons were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>to be \u201cfun or Flirtatious\u201d <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>to give a \u201csexy\u00a0 present\u201d to their boyfriend\/girlfriend<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>as a \u201cjoke\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>to \u201cfeel sexy\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>they felt pressured<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When asked further about using their cellphones,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>22% of teens felt that technology\u00a0helps them to be more forward and aggressive<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>38% believe that exchanging sexual content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>29% feel that exchanging sexual messages are \u201cexpected\u201d to date or hook up <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Sexting as the\u00a0Norm?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>You can see from these statistics that our teens are feeling tremendous pressure to \u201cfit\u201d in.\u00a0 New social norms are being created in how teens communicate, flirt, and date each other.\u00a0 Passing notes to each other has never been so personal; and yet have such a great possibility of the message\u00a0becoming widespread in such a short period.<\/p>\n<address><em>\u201cThat so many young people say technology is encouraging an even more casual, hook-up culture is reason for concern, given the high rates of teen and unplanned pregnancy in the United States,\u201d said Marisa Nightingale, Senior Advisor to the Entertainment Media Program at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. \u201cParents should understand that their own notions of what\u2019s public, what\u2019s private, and what\u2019s appropriate, may differ greatly from how teens and young adults define these concepts.\u201d\u00a0Susan Schulz, Special Projects Editor, Hearst Magazines. (1.)<\/em><\/address>\n<p>Sexting is becoming so prevalent that \u201c<em>1 in 4 teens feel that many people sext and there\u2019s nothing wrong with it<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 (LG Survey).\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s safe to assume that if this question is asked of teens in a few years, the number of teens feeling this way will be even higher.\u00a0 What at first seems so shocking minimizes over time as teens receive more sexting messages.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Dangers of Sexting<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sexting\u00a0can lead to many unanticipated situations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>embarrassment<\/strong> \u2013 as the picture\/message is sent across town<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>stalkers<\/strong>&#8211; wanting to see more of what they saw in your forwarded sext message<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-angle-426x640.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Girl On Cellphone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-angle-426x640-199x300.jpg?resize=199%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>isolation <\/strong>&#8211; from others who thought your sext was inappropriate <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>desperation<\/strong>&#8211;\u00a0as you\u00a0continue to send sext messages to get someone\u2019s attention<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>depression<\/strong>&#8211; if the person receiving your sext message does not respond<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>date rape<\/strong> \u2013 you finally\u00a0begin dating someone\u00a0and they thought you wanted more<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>job loss<\/strong> \u2013 pictures and messages don\u2019t disappear \u2013 they are always lurking;\u00a0 Employers are looking for mature responsible workers<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>college admission decline<\/strong> \u2013 colleges are checking applicants online to decrease number of\u00a0disruptive students<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>cellphone loss<\/strong>&#8211; your parents will likely take your cellphone away if they find out about your sexting<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>unsolicited pictures <\/strong>sent\u00a0 back from others who \u201creceived\u201d your sext<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>charges pressed<\/strong>&#8211; from others who found your sext offensive<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>jail time<\/strong> &#8211; pictures of under-aged children (under the age of 18) are considered child pornography and are illegal<\/em><em> <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong> <\/strong>The list can go on.\u00a0 What might start as a private message or joke between two teens can rapidly spread like wildfire across schools, towns, counties, states, even countries.\u00a0 If a teacher or school administrator sees the sexually explicit picture in a sext, they are required by law to report it to the authorities.\u00a0 Likewise, as a parent, if you observe anything potential illegal, you have a responsibility to report it to the police.\u00a0 As adults, we know and feel the pressure of doing the right thing.\u00a0 Teens need to be taught and warned about the repercussions of their actions and be reminded that nothing is \u201cprivate\u201d when sent electronically.<\/p>\n<p>There have been numerous stories where teens have been arrested and\/or jailed on charges of child pornography.\u00a0 I read countless articles and news story videos in my research where these teens\u2019 lives have been destroyed as a result of sending a \u201cprivate\u201d sext message.<\/p>\n<p><em> \u201d Pictures traded with a click of a button can change a teen\u2019s life forever.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0(Gigi Stone, ABC News)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Important Texting Acronyms to Know<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Teens utilize acronyms to<\/p>\n<p>1.) make it easier and faster to send a text<\/p>\n<p>2.) hide incriminating words from parents or others who might read it<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a few acronyms to give you an idea:<\/p>\n<p>MOS Mom over Shoulder<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>P911 Parent Alert<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>RUH Are Your Horney?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>GYPO Get Your Pants Off<\/p>\n<p>The list of acronyms are exhaustive.\u00a0 To help parents decipher text messages better, I scoured the Internet to find some resources.\u00a0 Here are some of the best resources I found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Do you know what MOS means?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lgdtxtr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">LG\u2019s DEXTR \u2013 LG\u2019s <\/a>website contains a database of acronyms and allows you to add new ones<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Do you know what 143 texted means?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.netlingo.com\/top50\/acronyms-for-parents.php\" target=\"_blank\">Top 50 Internet Acronyms Parents Need to Know<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Do you know what DOC means?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.netlingo.com\/top50\/top50parents.php\" target=\"_blank\">Top 50 More Acronyms Parents Need to Know<\/a><a title=\"Take a glance to see what's out there\" href=\"http:\/\/www.esarcasm.com\/347\/25-more-sexting-acronyms-parents-should-know\/\" target=\"_blank\">25 More Sexting Acronyms Parents Should Know <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>Hopefully it\u2019s unlikely your teen is using any of these acronyms or type of words in their texts.\u00a0 I am posting them as a reference.<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">A Mom\u2019s Perspective<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One action you can take to safety steer your teen through their tempestuous teen years is to regularly check their text messages.\u00a0 Be sure to review all sent and received messages.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to note that teens can and will delete messages at times \u2013 as they most likely know that you are reviewing their phone periodically.\u00a0\u00a0 Nonetheless it\u2019s important\u00a0 for them to see that you are checking their phones so they can be more aware of the use of their phone.<\/p>\n<p>I have heard that it is <strong>possible for a parent to obtain a report from their cellphone company <\/strong>to see all the texts sent and received from an owned cellphone number.\u00a0 To verify this, I called Verizon.\u00a0 Verizon informed me that this is incorrect.\u00a0 By law, they cannot disclose personal information sent\u00a0 via text.\u00a0 The only information available is the timing of when the\u00a0text was sent or received and to which phone number.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I\u2019ve heard from several parents that they threaten their kids with this \u201creport\u2019 as a measure to remind them to keep their e-mail\u2019s clean.<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-smiling-425x640.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" title=\"Making A Call 2\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-smiling-425x640-199x300.jpg?resize=199%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When you give your child his\/her first cellphone it is best to alert your him\/her upfront that the cellphone:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>belongs to the parents<\/strong> \u2013 your teen is just \u2018borrowing it\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>must be available<\/strong> for spot checks by the parents<\/li>\n<li><strong>might be used as \u201cevidence\u201d<\/strong> to ensure message offenders do not repeat inappropriate\u00a0 behavior<\/li>\n<li><strong>must not be \u201clocked<\/strong>\u201d without giving the passcode to the parents first<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<ul>Some parents believe that checking their teen\u2019s cellphone is an invasion of privacy or is not needed because their teen is a good kid.\u00a0 I disagree.\u00a0 Looking at the statistics above, it is more than likely that our children will receive sexting messages.\u00a0 Even \u201cgood\u201d \u00a0kids can be led astray from peer pressure.\u00a0 Based on the dangers discussed, there\u2019s too much at risk to NOT check your teen\u2019s phone.It\u2019s imperative that parents talk to their teens about the risks and consequences of their actions.\u00a0\u00a0 Decisions to send or forward a sext message today can haunt your teen many years in the future.\u00a0 Teach your teen to treat others with respect and integrity while in person, on the phone, or through text messages \u2013 the medium should not matter.\u00a0 Doing so will keep your teen out of trouble and possible humiliation.<\/ul>\n<p>It is my hope that this series on Teens and Cellphones has at least provided you with some food for thought, if not a springboard in discussing some of these tips with your teen.\u00a0 Remember, our children are watching everything we do.\u00a0 We are the best examples on how act responsibly.<\/p>\n<h6>(1.)\u00a0 http:\/\/www.thenationalcampaign.org\/sextech\/PDF\/SexTech_PressReleaseFIN.pdf<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your teenager&#8217;s life revolves around his or her phone.  Do you know the dangers and pressures teens feel to &#8220;fit in&#8221; with their peers? Learn about sexting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,16],"tags":[311,53,308,95,2782,2783,178,179,2784,312,2785,309,307,313,310,266,267],"class_list":["post-1427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-iphone","category-kids","category-phones","tag-cellphone-rules","tag-cellphones","tag-cells","tag-family-tech","tag-iphone","tag-kids","tag-mom-tech","tag-mom-technology","tag-moms","tag-parents","tag-phones","tag-sext","tag-sexting","tag-teenage-sex","tag-teenagers","tag-teens","tag-teens-and-cellphones","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1427\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}