Sexting involves sending a sexual message, revealing or nude photo, or sexy video to a boyfriend or girlfriend through a cell phone. This dangerous game often starts out as a bit of fun, but can soon get out of hand once the messages and photos get passed around to hundreds of people. If you are confused about sexting, consider the following points carefully:
1. Information travels fast -many cell phones these days link to the Internet, and this means that any image you send could soon be displayed on numerous computer screens.
2. Pornography can have serious repercussions – distributing nude or semi-nude photos is illegal and you could, as some teens have, find yourself in a lot of trouble.
3. Don’t give into peer pressure– it may be hard to resist sexting when someone is trying to pressurise you into it, but remember that you are the one who will ultimately be affected by the act and not them.
4. Forget privacy –don’t ever think that anything you send will remain private, even if the person you are sending it to says they will not show it to anyone.
5. Internet safety– many teens actually send sexy photos and messages to people they have never met, and this is even more dangerous.
6. Think of your reputation– reputations can easily be damaged beyond repair by sexting.
Never use sexting as a means of gaining attention, either, and if you ever have any concerns about sexting you should only talk to someone you can trust.
Have you had an experience with sexting? Share your advice...