Sexting is sending intimate photos using cell phones, social media and email. The name came up in 2005 in New Zealand after a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl posted some very candid pictures of herself on a dating site. In some countries, such as the United States and Australia, sexting is considered a crime if the photo shows a minor.
Is sexting harmless?
Some psychologists believe that sexting does not have any negative consequences for the psyche of adolescents. Intimate photographs are just one way of knowing your sexuality, a kind of innocent childish prank.
Almost 50% of teens these days exchange candid messages, videos, or photos with their peers.
Many psychologists try to convince the public that sexting is completely normal. It is due to the teenager's usual desire to stand out from others. They used to play bottle game, but now they exchange intimate photos.
Younger girls practice this entertainment more actively. Here is a kind of dangerous game without physical contact: I had fun and did not get pregnant.
The dangers of sexting
The United States has already passed a law according to which the exchange of erotic messages and images with minors is considered child molestation and sexual harassment. Parents of sexting kids will have to hire expensive lawyers to reclassify the article to a softer one. A shameful accusation can become a lifelong stigma and darken the future of an unlucky teenager.
Another problem with sexting is publicity. By sending a photo of intimate content to someone you know, there is no guarantee that it will not become public. The photo will start surfing the net, and one day the author may become a real laughing stock at school. It should be remembered that all copies of images are almost impossible to remove from the Internet.
An obscene photo posted once can play a cruel joke on a teenager in the future. This picture may pop up at the most inopportune moment, for example, when applying for a job, and then you will have to regret for a long time that the "send" button was once recklessly pressed.
Of course, in no case should you be sexting with strangers. It is not known what kind of person is hiding under the guise of a fifteen-year-old teenager who tearfully begs to send pictures of erotic content.
Sad stories about sexting
A teenage girl from the United States in 2009 sent her friend a photo of erotic content. After some time, this image was freely available and the girl was literally bombarded with obscene offers and all kinds of insults. Apparently, the teenager was not psychologically ready for such a reaction, so the young American woman simply committed suicide.
Another story of an unlucky 18-year-old who posted candid photos of his 15-year-old girlfriend. The authorities charged him with distributing child pornography and tried him to the fullest extent of the law.
This is how seemingly innocent entertainment can bring a lot of terrible problems, so it's worth thinking a thousand times before sending intimate photos to your friends.
