One in five teens 'sexting' photos, often without a clue to the risks

AFP Relax  

A new study, announced on Wednesday, finds that nearly one in five teens have sent sexually explicit photos on their mobile phone -- many of them with little or no awareness of the possible psychological, social, and sometimes legal consequences of doing so.
While each country varies in its age of consent laws, in many US states, those sending or receiving sexual pictures of people under 18 risk charges as serious as possession or distribution of child pornography. But even when minors understand the legal consequences, many continue to sext.

In the study, Donald Strassberg and his team at the University of Utah recruited 606 students from a private high school in the southwest US who completed a questionnaire about their experiences of sexting and their understanding of what consequences they believed were associated with being caught sexting.

The students were also asked about their attitudes toward sending sexually explicit mobile phone photos -- for example, in what context it might be right or wrong.

Nearly 20 percent of the students, some as young as 14, said they had sent a sexually explicit image of themselves via mobile phone, and nearly twice as many said that they had received a sexually explicit photo.

Of those receiving such a picture, over 25 percent indicated that they had forwarded it to others.

The findings were recently published online in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Last month, British officials issued a report stating that teenage girls are experiencing increasing pressure to text and email sexually explicit pictures of themselves, with many accepting it "as a fact of life." In the report, sexting was said to affect more than a third of adolescents under the age of 18.

What is a concerned parent to do? Psychology Today magazine recommends talking to your teen about the negative consequences of sexting and outline your expectations by creating a computer/mobile phone contract. You can also opt to have your child take an Internet safety class.

Also, randomly have your teen share with you the photos in their phone or computer, and make sure they understand that once a photo is out there on the internet, there is no way of retrieving it, even if it's deleted from the phone or computer.
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Why DO men send unsolicited pics of their penis?

Another poster asked this question in their thread; and I am curious...WHY DO men send those pics? and What do they get out of it? To be quite truthful with you, I have absolutely NO IDEA what men get from doing this. 

Guys: have you ever sent a woman, or do you KNOW SOMEONE who has sent a woman, unsolicited pics of your/their penis? WHY did you/they do it? Are they trying to attract the woman? Are they trying to turn her on? Are they just hoping she will send similar pics of herself? What do they feel when the woman reacts negatively? Do they think it's funny?

Women: How many of you have received pics like this? how many of you said ANYTHING positive to the sender, like "nice", or "sexy, do you have any more" etc.? How many of you reacted angrily? How many of you kept the pics whether you reacted negatively or not, and what did/do you do with them?

Why [b]DO[/b] men send unsolicited pics of their penis? Posted: 5/22/2009 5:27:09 PM

This has happened to me a few times and my girlfriends say this has happened to them more and more frequently and most of the time, you've never even MET the man. Frankly, I don't understand it. I guess it's a fad, or just plum stupid. Why [b]DO[/b] men send unsolicited pics of their penis? Posted: 5/22/2009 9:04:45 PM I've had so many sent to me over the years that I'm sure my "pecker decker" catalogue would have at least 5 pages by now, at about 20 per page. I think there are several possible reasons why men would do this (usually younger males but rarely matured males--occasionally though) 1) the acceptance of a man's penis engenders your acceptance of HIM...at least this is something I believe they are experiencing--I could be wrong 2) exhibitionism can be an exciting experience and this is a safe method to exhibit yourself without fear or reprisal--I think exhibitionism is by far the most common reason 3) yes, some women do get turned on by knowing what a man's penis looks like when she shouldn't. the photo is like him paying homage to the effect of his arousal brought on specifically by her 4) for some men, the insecurity of penile size is quieted by her acceptance and especially positive response to seeing it...again, the acceptance thing 5) some are just hoping to turn her on so that they can get some cyber or phone bone So although these are probably not all the reasons, this is what I figure they are doing it for. And NO, I do not with to receive a photo of your penis LOL...I'm now desensitized to the experience of strangers' penises...and wish to have an exclusive fixation instead Why [b]DO[/b] men send unsolicited pics of their penis? Posted: 5/22/2009 5:35:39 PM I think I have a good reason for why this happens and what men are getting out of it. Basically, IMHO, it comes down to maturity. You see, if you guys remember well, when you were, oh say years old, do you remember being with your little buddies and showing off your "pp". Remember the old "I'll let you see mine if you let me see yours". Men like to display their prowess. For eons of ages, this is how its been. But we have come a long ways (I hope) from those uncivilized days to the civilized world we live in now. What I truly believe is this, men just like to show their "pp's" as if they are still that little 5, 6,7 year old boy and just haven't graduated to a level of maturity to know that a respectable, decent woman does not what to see his "pp" until she is ready to see it. Its no different than a flasher in public or a woman who just wants to show her breasts in public. Immature women like to make their breasts noticeable in public because they know it draws attention, but then complain when the attention is given and is not only from those she would hope would be paying attention but those she hoped wouldnt' notice as well. Of course since the female sexual organs are not visible unless the women is nude, yet there are many woman who will wear really tight fitting stretchy pants that will reveal their "cameltoe". But again, its for attention and the old "look what I've got". Men who send unsolicited pictures don't realize or care to realize that a woman has seen so many of them in her time that she isn't really that impressed with seeing pictures even if they are of you. However, once she is ready to see it, she will marvel at it. Then its more than just a penis to her, its the object of her desire. But men have to realize you have to get the woman to this point. It takes some time, and of course, some dialogue back and forth. I have had women reveal their "privates" to me in emails and on cams as I revealed mine to them, but this was after it was mutually agreed on between the woman and me.

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