Dear Teen,
Recently I did a poll of teens at my school to see how many had been involved, or knew someone involved, in sexting. It was an overwhelming 60% of teens had been involved in sexting. Sixty per cent. Six out of every ten teens. Now this was at my school and maybe your school might be higher or lower, but it seemed like a solid average number. And it is shocking! What would make anyone think that sexting is a good idea? I’m married and wouldn’t send risky pictures of myself to my own husband, who I trust completely! You just never know what can happen to pictures sent out in the internet world. You may think you are safe because you deleted the pictures or put them in a “vault”, but that’s no guarantee. You may also think you trust the person you are sending pictures to, but we are talking teen relationships and very rarely do they last and you also don’t always stay friends that you can trust. I’m also sorry to say that there are a lot of crazy people out there looking for risky pictures of teens, or children. It’s called pornography. So if you think about it, is it worth the risk? I have seen too many teens send pictures of themselves to someone that end up being something lots of other people see. Boys seem to have a tendency to “share” these pictures with other boys. “Look what this girl sent!” “Check out my girlfriend!” You get the idea.
Girls… NEVER take this risk, it just isn’t worth the possible embarrassment and humiliation. Please know that if a guy asks you to send him a risky picture you can say no. If he gives you a hard time for not doing it he’s not the guy for you. You deserve better. Remember it’s about respect and if you say no to anything, that needs to be respected. Think for a minute how it would feel to have a compromising picture of yourself viewed by a lot of people. There’s nothing about it that would feel good. Nothing.
Boys…NEVER think that getting a girl to send you a risky picture, even a girlfriend, is a good idea. Do you really need a picture to have a good relationship? No you do not. So be respectful of girls and don’t even ask for a picture. Also, do not send one of yourself! It goes the other way too. You never know what will happen to that picture and who might get a hold of it. It’s not worth the risk. Super important: If you ever think about getting a risky picture and then giving it, sending it or selling it to someone else you are risking child pornography. Seriously. Very seriously. So don’t EVER do it.
Teens…Try having a relationship or friendship that’s real. Live. Real conversations. Look into each other’s eyes and faces when you talk. Being with each other. Doing things together. Trusting and respecting each other. It’s much healthier and way less risky. Do you really need to send risky pictures to keep a relationship or friendship? I certainly hope not because that would not be a healthy relationship/friendship. Let’s get that 60% down to zero.
Sexting: To send someone, or receive, a sexually explicit, suggestive or provocative photograph, image or message via cell phone.