Gone are the days when teens passed love notes in class. Today’s adolescents have taken their notes electronic, in a form of flirting know as “sexting” that can have unwanted and even dangerous outcomes, according to an expert on teen sexual health at Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu).
Sexting refers to sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs over a cell phone. Teens also use social media sites like Facebook and Myspace as well as instant messaging to communicate things of a sexual nature.
“This is a practice that sets young people up for consequences that they may not be emotionally ready to handle,” said Dr. Peggy Smith, director of the Baylor Teen Health Clinic (www.teenhealthclinic.org). “Teens need to realize that once they send something by text or into cyber space, it’s there forever and they no longer have control over it.”
Even though sexting is usually done innocently – perhaps as a “present” for a boyfriend or girlfriend – the person who sends the information cannot count on it being kept confidential. The sender could also become the victim of blackmail or cyberstalking.
“Sexting should become a routine part of parents’ conversation with their children about sexual health, along with topics like sexually transmitted infections and condom use, Smith said. Teens use technology to research important sexual health information, Smith noted, but sexting represents the dark side of modern technology.