GENERATION SEXTING: A Growing Trend Among Area Teens

Photo by Kate Sigety/Local Kicks "If you're smart, you shouldn't do it," West Potomac  junior Lauren Ebberts said about 'sexting.'

So, a teen girl has a crush on a boy at her school.
 
As she is so enthralled in him, she decides the best way to grab his attention is to send him a text message photo of herself, topless. He thinks it’s cool. He shows it off to his friends. His friends tell their friends, and so on.

In a matter of seconds, one teen’s reputation is easily tarnished through one text message.

"Sexting" is a growing trend among high school students, and even some middle school students, where teens send pornographic photos via cell phone text message.

There are many different motives that lead teens to send a text including revenge, as a self-confidence booster, as a way to flirt or as a gift to their significant other.
 
“I personally think people ‘sext’ because they think it makes them feel wanted. The feeling of someone wanting you gives you this ‘high,’ and it supposedly makes you ‘cool,’" West Potomac junior Lauren Ebberts said.

With just one simple click, a sexually explicit photo can be taken of a teen or child, which is considered by law manufacturing pornography, no matter what the age is of the individual who took the picture.
 
A person who sends the photo could be accused of distributing, and if the photo is received, even unsolicited, that person can be charged with the possession of child pornography. Each case could be a felony, and if a person is convicted, he or she may become labeled as a registered sex offender.

While "sexts" are often meant for only one person to view, usually a boyfriend or girlfriend, the photos can wind up being shared or even posted on the Internet, which can lead to teens being bullied and humiliated by their peers. There have been cases where teens have been tormented to the point of committing suicide.

Almost all cell phones are made with cameras and access to the Internet, and with texting as one of the most common ways that teens communicate, sexting becomes much easier. Teenagers’ impulsiveness is nothing new to society, but the combination of impulsiveness with technology can cause a dangerous mixture.

“It’s scary to watch how rapidly technology has developed these last few years and how quickly things can be circulated through the web. I never would have imagined that ‘sexting’ would become such a growing problem back when I was in high school,” 2007 West Potomac graduate Caitlyn Cordone said.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy surveyed teens and young adults about ‘sexting’ last fall. The results showed that 39 percent of teenagers are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages, and 48 percent reported receiving these types of messages.

Fairfax County has held a few forums, including one at Kingstowne Library in April to warn parents and students about the dangers of sexting. 

While the school system realizes the consequences that sexting can leave on a student’s reputation, West Potomac High School senior Chris Shields believes it will take more than forums to get the message through to teens.
 
“It’s a growing social issue. I think that the most convenient way for the school to warn students would be to arrange for somebody who has dealt with the consequences first hand to come and speak to the students during an assembly,” he said.

While many teens claim to comprehend the direct and indirect consequences of ‘sexting,’ the problem continues to expand. “If you’re smart, you shouldn’t do it,” Ebberts said.
 
Contact the writer at ksigety07@ehc.edu.