CHICAGO, Ill. (Ivanhoe Newswire) With the pandemic keeping kids at home and online, kids are having easier access to sexually explicit material at a younger age. Singer Billie Eilish admitted she watched porn before she was 12 years old and statistics show the average age for first time exposure to pornographic material is 11. Ivanhoe details what consequences these sexually explicit materials can have and what parents can do about sexting.
Father Steve Hartschuh is cautious of what his kids see online, especially during the pandemic.
Hartschuh said, “With everything closed down, they were basically in the house on their computer.”
A lot more screen time can lead to inappropriate websites.
Katie Gallagher, Director of Education at Candor Health Education, explained parents should talk to their kids about “more comprehensive and include topics, such as sexting and sexually explicit media. Current research is saying about one in four teens have received a sext.”
A sext is a sexually explicit or suggestive image, message, or video sent on a smartphone or through the internet. The CDC says sexting can damage a teen’s self-image, lead to depression and other mental health issues, and teens can even face felony charges.
Gallagher said, “It’s so critical to talk to kids about these kinds of situations before they may find themselves in it.”
Parents can get the conversation started by using a recent news story or something you’ve seen to engage your teen on the topic. Explain, early and often, how a sent image or message can’t be taken back and can live forever on the internet. And talk about personal boundaries and how to resist peer pressure. Steve makes sure to steer his daughter Ava in the right direction, especially as she navigates dating in high school.
Ava Hartschuh detailed, “He told me to be conscious of my decisions and really think about what I am doing and think about the outcomes and bigger picture.”
And how that picture may not only be worth a thousand words, but also your reputation.
Another tip: teach kids to follow the WWGT, or ‘what would grandma think’, rule. If they don’t want grandma to see it, they shouldn’t send it. For more tips on how to talk to your teens about sexually explicit materials visit www.candorhealthed.org.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor and Videographer.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/15/entertainment/billie-eilish-porn-scli-intl/index.html
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/2011-sexting.html
TEENS AND SEXTING: WHAT PARENTS NEED TO
REPORT #2931
BACKGROUND: Around seven in ten Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information, and entertain themselves. As more and more Americans adopt social media, young adults are among the earliest social media adopters and continue to use these sites at high levels. But usage by older adults has increased in recent years. YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms, whereas sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn comprise a smaller population. For many users, social media is part of their daily routine. There averages around seven in ten Facebook users, and around six in ten Instagram and Snapchat users that visit these sites at least once a day.
(Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/)
TEENS AND SEXTING: A study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that sexting has become more common among adolescents. Researchers examined the data on 39 previously published studies where participants ranged in age from 12 to 17 years old, with average age of 15 years old. Results showed at least 1 in 4 teens are receiving sexually explicit texts and emails; at least 1 in 7 are sending sexts; more than 1 in 10 teens are forwarding sexts without consent; and about 1 in 12 teens have had sexts they’ve sent forwarded without their consent. Consequences of sexting can extend offline. For example, when sexts are forwarded to peers at school, in the community, and in neighboring communities, teens face humiliation everywhere they go. This can trigger symptoms of anxiety and depression. School refusal, avoiding social situations, and dropping out of extracurricular activities are all potential consequences.
(Source: https://www.psycom.net/teen-sexting/)
NEW RESEARCH ON YOUTH AND SOCIAL MEDIA: A new study out of Florida Atlantic University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is providing a much-needed update to what is currently known about the nature and extent of sexting among youth. Published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, the study examined prevalence rates for sending and receiving sexually explicit images or video among 5,593 American middle and high school students ages 12 to 17. Researchers focused only on explicit images and videos to isolate those experiences that have the greatest potential for problematic outcomes. Results show that across all sociodemographic variables explored, many students were not participating in sexting. Approximately 14 percent of middle and high school students had received a sexually explicit image from a boyfriend or girlfriend, while 13.6 percent said they received such an image from someone who was not a current romantic partner. About 11 percent of students reported sending a sext to a boyfriend or girlfriend. “Showing adolescents clear evidence that a relatively small proportion of teens engage in sexting could actually result in decreased overall participation since it underscores that it is not as normal, commonplace, or widespread as they might believe,” said Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice within FAU’s College for Design and Social Inquiry.
(Source: https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/teen-sexting-update.php)
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