Teen Sexting

Teenage cell phone use is often a big challenge for parents. The last thing you want to do is encourage teen sexting, but you also know your teen needs the freedom to communicate with peers and begin making adult choices.  

Scary Teen Issues: When Flirtatious Texts Go Too Far

1. Violated Privacy

What your teen thought of an innocent night of flirty texting with a romantic interest could end up a source of embarrassment. People aren’t always trustworthy. Teen issues with cheating and heartbreak are common, and some boys will coax young girls into sending nudes or sexual texts only to screenshot the images and show them to other people later. It’s important for teens to understand that they should never share something over the internet that they wouldn’t feel comfortable showing the whole world.

2. A Destroyed Future

If your teen is working hard to get into a certain college, participate in a beauty pageant, become a teacher, get into politics, or do pretty much anything else that requires a positive reputation, a few sexy texts or nudes could potentially ruin the deal. Mistakes can haunt a teen well into the future. Along with maintaining decency and avoiding risqué imagery, teens should also be careful what they say and do on social media.

3. A Loss of Control

Even if your teen’s love interest doesn’t spread their sexy texts or nude pics around, they can still end up feeling a lot of regret. What if that love interest turns out to be a jerk? What if they end up heartbroken? There’s no way to force someone to delete a nude pic once it’s in their possession. Knowing that an ex love interest has risqué pictures of you can be depressing and disempowering. Figuring out how to discuss issues like teen sexting can be tough. If you need help, consider signing up for my online mentoring services. We can set up a time to meet online and discuss teenage cell phone use, sexting, and dealing with romantic situations in an appropriate way.