Teenage Sexting Case Study

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The Social Issue of Teenage Sexting Jaleigha B. Stull Indiana University Kokomo In today’s society there has been a drastic increase in the inappropriate use of technological advances by teenagers. As social media, digital devices, and technological apps all develop so does the accessibility for teens to participate in the distribution of inappropriate, electronic images and messages. This increase has become a serious social psychological issue in today’s culture. The issues surrounding this social problem, such as, compliance, sexism, and stereotyping, need to be addressed and dealt with using more structure and discipline as well as the method of strategic self-presentation that should be stressed by all role models in these …show more content…

The Pew Center’s studies have found that females are much more likely to report being pressured into sending pornographic images to desired boyfriends (Judge, 2012, p. 90). Judge (2012) then describes how social media has influenced the idea of men requesting images of women when they are apart. This request can be viewed as one example of the door-in-the-face technique described earlier. The male in the relationship in this case is pretty much saying, “Well, if I cannot have you by me then I should at least get pictures of you.” This however is not a reason girls should give in to the peer pressure. These actions will have some informal consequences when word gets around to peers that these images went out. Lee (2015) explains the double standard for males and females when dealing with the repercussions of sexting. In many societies men who send these images will be praised or humiliated for the size of their penis. Girls on the other hand are often “slut shamed” regardless of their body (Lee, 2015, p. 458). These informal peer sanctioned punishments are not usually considered before the picture is sent but they can be mentally and emotionally harmful after the …show more content…

Many want to believe that it is possible to stereotype which teens will partake in these activities and which will not but it is not possible. It has been recognized that many surveys used to determine where the pressure to sext comes from and how many teens are doing it does not inquire about why (Lee, 2015, p. 459). Without understanding why teens desire to participate or allow themselves to be coerced into participating in sexting there is no way to stereotype the teens that are at risk for this inappropriate behavior. Most people believe that the troubled, rebellious teens are the only ones that would sext, however that is very much false. Any teenager with a smartphone, social media account, or access to the internet can be at risk for sexting and distribution of nude

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