Girl using cell phone
Hey parents. Are you sure you want your teenager to have their own cell phone? If so, are you sure you want to give them that unlimited texting package too?
A recent survey suggests that a large number of teens and young adults are finding a high-tech way of flirting and sharing suggestive photos and videos of themselves. Almost all cell phones are now equipped with a camera. Most of those cameras can also take short video footage. Combine the ability to take photos and video with the ability to send the photos and videos to someone else via a text message and what do you get? You get a disappointing trend among teens and young adults where sexually explicit media is being shared. Surprisingly (at least to me), females are more likely to send suggestive photos/videos of themselves to a male friend than a male is to a female.
If you thought monitoring your child’s sexual trends used to be difficult, how are parents supposed to handle this new trend? What do you think?
Theologically Speaking 
😦
that is sick
😦
snowysummers
I guess it all depends on the teen/young adult, and the level of trust they have with their parents. I get a little frustrated when we all get painted with the same brush, though, because I personally have never even come close to texting a suggestive picture, and my parents have always known they don’t have to worry about”monitering” that kind of thing.
Hey Kelsey. I do not mean to say that all teens or young adults are the same or that none should have cell phones. I am just bringing up a trend that is, unfortunately, very common in our current tech crazy culture. I just think this is another area where parents have to weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision based upon their relationship with their child(ren).
We provide a pay-as-you-go to our girls for a safety device. If they are in trouble they have a phone.
If … I … EVER …get information of this kind of activity I’ll give them both; her and her phone partner, a beatin’ … well … maybe she’ll just lose phone privilages.
I thank God they have told me they have Jesus in their heart … no worries. *Whew*
Thanks Tim; you always know how to get my heart rate up.
One thing young people — or older people — don’t realize is that when the photo is sent, it cannot be retrieved. It could be passed around the virtual world for years for anyone and everyone to see and pass on.
If a girl was to send a provocative photo to her boyfriend, do you think he’ll privately treasure it forever? No way, he’ll forward it to his buddies, who we’ll pass it along to their buddies… you know that why it’s called the buddy system. If it is uploaded to the Internet by any of these people, it belongs to anyone that wants it.
At a seminar I went to recently the speaker told the story of a teen girl who sent a raunchy photo of herself to her boyfriend, who then passed it along. Eventually she was arrested for distributing pornography.
Here’s a great video to remind all of us that we need to think before we send out any stuff to the virtual world. (thirty second clip)
http://tcs.cybertipline.com/psa/BulletinBoard_60.mov