Sexting

Twenty years ago if someone said they were texting, you would not have a clue what they were talking about. This also goes without saying about the next level of texting known as sexting. This is when someone takes pictures of their more private parts and sends them to another person. This can be accompanied by dirty talk, "well dirty words".

There have been several articles written recently about the scare that seemed to be of epidemic proportions. The term sexting seems to have originated around 2005. It was thought a few years ago that about 30% of young people had sent nude, or partially nude pictures of themselves to someone in an electronic form. The topic is still controversial today with the jury out as to how many young people are engaged in this type of electronic immorality.

Sexting Side Effects

At first glance people may think, "well at least no one is going to get pregnant". While it is true that no one will be getting pregnant or spreading any type of communicable disease while sexting, there are some downsides. Probably the greatest downside is that once a picture is generated in an electronic format it can bounce around for ever on the Internet. A teen may believe she or he is sending something to a friend and that is the only person who will receive it.

This may not always be the case. When the two break up, the disgruntled lover may retaliate by sending posting the picture where anyone can see it. It is possible that the picture may be sent by mistake to someone else. It is also possible that someone may hack into a persons pictures and steal it. A recent case of this nature just took place on the world stage. A prominent political leader was forced to step down as a result of this type of picture.

High Tech Problems

The possibilities of humiliation can go on and on. One thing is certain, if a person never takes a naked picture of themselves they will never have to worry about it being electronically displayed for the world world to see. Most people will agree that a young person typically doesn't think very far ahead. This is apparent when they become pregnant, drop out of school, or make other bad choices in their lives. The teen who takes a picture of themselves and sends it to a friend isn't thinking that the picture may still be available many years from that time.

The young person may grow up and want to gain employment at a reputable business. Some potential employers routinely Google search an individual to see what is being said about them on the Internet. The employer may be in a business where his customers want information about the company and the employees that will be handling their account. Or the potential employer may be in a competitive field, and his competition will research his employees. Imagine the surprise to the potential employer when a naked picture is found during this type of search. Even worse if the young person were to get the job and his competition found and exposed the pictures the potential client.