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The phenomenon of sexting among teenagers
Essay on sexting in teens
The phenomenon of sexting among teenagers
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In Minneapolis, a twelve-year-old girl had a crush on a boy who was in the same grade and school as her. The seventh grader, Michaela Snyder, had an electronic device that many teenagers have today: a cell phone. She would do anything to make her crush happy. One day, he asked for some pictures: he wanted to see her body. At first, Michaela said no, but her crush threatened to leave her if she does not provide any pictures. Her parents had thought that they had provided enough conversation concerning sexting, but they were wrong. In search of help, Micheala went to her seventh-grade friends, but they normalized it since they have all done it too. Michaela eventually sent a picture of herself in just her underwear. She felt bad. Her crush did not stop with that picture: he increasingly asked for more naked pictures. Fortunately, she denied sending more nude pictures. Her parents eventually found out by checking her phone and consequently spoke to the parents of Michaela’s crush. Michaela regrets the choice that she made when she sent those pictures of herself. Unfortunately, many teenagers find themselves in as Michaela did: sext. According to Karen Peterson, sexting is “the …show more content…
Although they do not blatantly endorse teenage sexting, their content normalizes sex out of marriage. Teenage sexual innuendos are eminent in today’s culture. According to Peterson, the popular media of America has cultivated a culture that has routinely objectified and sexualized the body of women, even a teenage girl. For instance, Miley Cyrus, at the age of fifteen, posed semi-nude for a Vanity Fair photo spread in 2006. Girls of this culture may think that if Miley could pose like that in front of the world audience, it should be fine if they sext a picture to a crush. However, in spite of the glamorization of sexual immorality by the media, the consequences of sexting remain
Erica Zhang Professor Nelson Intro to Mass Media & Communications 3/11/2013 Media Analysis Assignment In today’s media, the sexualisation of women has unfortunately also extended to young preteen girls, through a myriad of detrimental social constructs and internalized prejudices spanning centuries. The commodification of their sexuality is unnerving, as it encourages predators to project their fantasies onto unwilling participants that are too young to understand the nature of these harmful actions, and know how to escape or refuse them. In an attempt to shed light onto this issue as a concerned parent, Rachael Combe wrote the article Little Girls Gone Wild as a response to this sudden boom in increasingly sexualised behavior among and towards preteens. While her intentions remain sincere and her concerns as a mother legitimate, the article is flawed in the sense that she is not delving deeper into the causes behind this phenomenon, shaming the young girls for indulging in their outward appearances and for participating in a role that society has forced them into, instead of the predators that reinforce this sexualised image and make it something to be desired and aspired to.
Author Amy Schalet ultimately brings up a delicate and sensitive topic about teens having sex, comparing the different mindsets of families in the Netherlands and in America. By Schalet carrying the interviews, she found out that teens in America are a lot more secretive with their personal lives, and would not discuss it with their parents, unlike teens from the Netherlands that eventually told their parents. While some people might say that it’s a matter of common sense, some other people might argue it has to do with culture. Catholics, for example, believe in celibacy until you have decided on the person you will marry. You are taught from young age to protect your body and mind from carnal desires and focus on other things that will benefit you on the long run. Obviously, times have changed, and not many people practice this anymore. We can see an example on shows on television about teen pregnancy, while these shows aren’t necessarily telling to go ahead and have children at young age, it might have negative impact on younger girls, almost like a unintentional role model. On the other hand, writer Jamaica Kincaid, demonstrates the In The Girl we see the other side of the coin, a mother that is so demanding and is always right, no matter the outcome, she is right, and things have to be done a certain way. I think a figure like this would not benefit
However, some adults think a few lines are hard to swallow. For example, Sophie, like any young woman, is starting to notice a change in the size of her breasts and decides to share some of her observations, “Sometimes on chilly nights I stand close to my bedroom window, unbutton my nightgown, and press my breasts against the cold glass just so I can see the amazing trick that my nipples can do” (Sones 46). This, along with a slight groping scene during her daydream, can be seen as inappropriate by concerned parents. Of course these adult situations are not the most comfortable thing to talk about, it is a natural body part that every young, female teen is getting used to at that time and it is more important to show young people that being curious about your body is okay because, “...some girls feel embarrassed…” (“How to Talk”). Young females should be encouraged to speak freely about their bodies if they do not understand something. Another example deals with a much darker scenario that most definitely should be talked about to teens, online predators. When Sophie was chatting with the guy that she had never met online, he started a conversation about what each person enjoys doing with their spare time. His response was, “I like to jerk off in libraries” (Sones 110). Sophie of course felt uncomfortable and blocked him immediately. Since the main character dealt with this issue
Such was the case of Ohio high school student, Jesse Logan, who sent nude photos to her boyfriend who then sent them to other students who harassed her until she committed suicide.2 Currently, there are laws in place against minors sexting and sexting to minors and they fall under the child pornography category. While the laws are intended to protect minors from sexual predators, what most minors do not understand is that they are subject to them as well. This means that, if fifteen-year-old Timmy decides to sext his fifteen-year-old girlfriend, Sarah, a naked picture of himself, both Timmy and Sarah could be tried in court on charges of disseminating child pornography and possessing child pornography. These serious charges can result in having to register as a sex offender for several years, although the message may have been sent and received consensually by both parties. This was the case for an 18-year-old Iowa boy who sent a nude picture of himself to a fourteen-year-old girl after she asked him repeatedly to do so.
On Halloween night, one will inevitably see tween-aged girls adorned in sexed-up skeleton, vampire, and doctor ensembles. Costume companies design these provocative outfits specifically for children who want “a sexy look to give you the perfect butt” (Jones, 2014, p.7). The sexualization of girls’ clothing and, consequently, the girls wearing the clothing is not limited to one day per year, however. Popular retailers, such as Abercrombie Kids and Victoria’s Secret PINK, market children’s thong underwear adorned phrases such as “eye candy” and “call me”; push up bikini tops are commonplace in sections intended for young girls (Goldfarb, 2008). Even television shows such as My Little Pony are marketed to sexualize girlhood. The sexualization of girls is inescapable in today’s society, where it is pervasive on virtually all media platforms. This issue must be addressed immediately, as it damages not only the individual, but the well-being of society as a whole.
... into adulthood can stir up emotions and affect psychological development. Jacob and Gianna can begin to feel insecure and negatively about their bodies. It’s best to think positive about one’s body image rather than securing low self-esteem and feeling inadequate. The emotional and physical aspects of development will help children transition into their adult life. Taking on puberty with a positive and open attitude is best. This period of time is when children can discover their sexual interests, wants, and likes. This time in life teens will learn how to control their sexual tendencies and energies. In conclusion, like I previously stated it’s important for children and teens to be open with their guardians if they have any questions, feel good about themselves because nobody is perfect, and realize that it’s a natural occurrence in life and they’re not alone.
Crespi, T, Segool, N 2013, ‘Sexting at Sixteen: Reflections on Legal and Professional Issues’, The Online Journal of Counseling and Education, vol 4, no.2, retrieved May 14th 2014
"Children are influenced by media–they learn by observing, imitating, and making behaviors their own" (APA, 2001, p.1224). Girl’s as young as 4-years sees Britney Spears music clip “Baby One More Time”, who at the time was a 17-year old girl/world pop icon at the time wearing a school uniform showing off her midriff, wearing a lot of makeup and a short skirt. Disney teen icons such as Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana taking personal photos of herself in “sexy” poses and sending it to her ‘older’ boyfriend and then having it all published all over the internet for the entire world to see. Boys also face sexualization too, as has been seen in Calvin Klein ads, where pubescent-looking boys pose provocatively with perfectly sculpted six-pack abs hawking teen fashion These pop culture celebrities both female and male are always in the media, for inappropriate actions and they’re meant to be role models for children. In fact most of these sexualized celebrities are still children themselves. The sad part is it’s not just sexualization being encouraged in the media other negative things such as violence, drug and alcohol use ...
Sexting is an issue that many people are still unclear on. Sexting is the exchanging of nude or seminude pictures or videos by cell phones (Hewitt and Driscoll). These media files can be exchanged by teens as young as 11 to married adults in their 40s. Sexting can hold serious consequences, such as being charged with child pornography, having to register in the sex offenders list, and even facing jail time (Hewitt and Driscoll). Even after knowing the gravity of the consequences, people continue to sext. The reason behind this phenomenon is still a mystery. Some believe that some individuals want to sext in order to gain the attention that they aren’t getting from significant other. A woman who had participated in sexting even claimed that a man she sexted with made her feel wanted (Tapper). The same article states that men believe “if you get a woman to send you a naked picture, you’re cool. It’s an ego boost.” Although many know sexting can be a crime, many individuals who sext do i...
I can recall a time when the media was influencing my life and actions. The week after I graduated high school, my girlfriends and I took a trip to Cancun, Mexico, where the MTV beach house was located that summer. As I look back on the week of drunken partying and sexy guys, I can only wonder how I made it home alive. How could any young woman find this behavior acceptable? Every young woman there was flaunting their bodies to the young men around them. They were proud to be sexual objects. Where did they learn such debauchery? This is the kind of woman that is portrayed throughout MTV and various other aspects of the media. They have even coined the term “midriff”—the highly sexual character pitched at teenage girls that increasingly populates today’s television shows—in order to hook the teen customer. Teenage women increasingly look to the media to provide them with a ready-made identity predicated on today’s version of what’s “cool.” The media is always telling us that we are not thin enough, we’re not pretty enough, we don’t have the right friends, or we have the wrong friends… we’re losers unless we’re cool. We must follow their example and show as much skin as possible. The type of imagery depicted by MTV-- as well as people like Howard Stern, the famous “Girls Gone Wild” videos, and various Hip Hop songs—glorifies sex and the provocative woman.
Media has been filled with exaggerated scrutinies and trashed with unreasonable criticisms. It deserves a break. This is the generation of Information Technology. Danger is just around the corner, where a click from a mouse or a remote control and all sex-related garbage can pop out of the monitor. Truly, a vulnerable teenager can easily get lost to temptations. As an adolescent, I can empathize how these sweet girls feel about how horrible their body shapes are, how ugly their face is, and how brands in fashion seem to be worth more than anything in the world. Fashion labels, tiny bodies, and sexual activities are all characterized in Sex and the City. From th...
Teen’s today face serious criminal charges when they get in trouble for sexting. Sexting is an exchange of nude or seminude images via a telecommunication device. When teens are engaging in sexting, they are not thinking of the possible criminal charges they can face. Sexting among teens is a common issue that we face today in our highly technological world. Laws are not able to keep up with the rate of technology advancements. Teacher, parents, and Louisiana law makers need to be more aware of this issue to try and protect teens from endangering themselves and their future.
Sexting can be referred to as sexual content communicated through text messages, smart phones, or visual and web 2.0 activities such as social networking sites. It has been defined as the ‘exchange of sexual messages or images’ (Livingstone et al., 2011) and ‘the creating, sharing and forwarding of sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images’ (Lenhart, 2009) through mobile phones and/or the internet. There are many factors associated with sexting. This includes that fact that it is coercive, this means that sexting does not refer to a single activity but rather to a range of activities which may be motivated by sexual pleasure but are often linked to harassment, bullying and even violence. (Ringrose, Gill, Livingstone and Harvey, 2012, pp 7).
...y, but at the same time those receiving the image have the ability to screenshot (the act of taking a picture from one’s phone screen), and keep or share that image with others. Sexting in general is a problem that many teens face, and with the use of Snapchat as a form of social netoworking the problem seems to be only growing in severity (Bromfield, 2013).
“The media may be especially important for young people as they are developing their own sexual beliefs and patterns of behavior and as parents and schools remain reluctant to discuss sexual topics (p.26)”.