Over the last year or so, we have written about how Maryland's various law enforcement agencies and school administrators are teaming up to educate teenagers about a practice that is frequently considered very risky, both personally and legally: sexting.
It is easy to see why sending racy messages or provocative pictures of yourself to another person could be socially disastrous, especially if they were later posted to the internet. However, there could also be legal consequences. Depending on the age of the teens and the nature of the provocative pictures, the receiver could potentially be charged with possession of child pornography.
Of course, consensual teenage sexting of nude or semi-nude photos often constitutes a legal gray area when it comes to sex crime charges. Despite the parental and media hysteria surrounding the practice, studies published within the last year have shown that sexting (and especially sexting nude pictures) is not as common as estimated.
Thankfully, when the practice results in criminal allegations, law enforcement response also tends to be fairly rational and levelheaded.
If another recently published study on teen sexting is any indication, it seems that researchers may be turning their attention away from criminal consequences and focusing instead on personal and social risks.
Researchers in the study asked 948 teenagers (aged 14-19) about their experiences with sexting; specifically the sending, receiving or viewing of nude photos. Approximately 25 percent of study participants admitted to having sent a sext.
The study also revealed that there was a significant correlation between those who have been propositioned for a sext and those who have had sexual intercourse in the past. Among teens who had never been propositioned for a sext, 38.2 percent have had sexual intercourse. Among those who had been propositioned, the non-virgin rate was 76.2 percent.
Interestingly, researchers noted that teens who were propositioned for sexting were more likely to have had sex, regardless of whether or not they had agreed to engage in sexting.
Like many teen behaviors that scare parents, we must hope that the hype surrounding sexting has finally died down and that productive conversations may now begin. The fact that this latest study did not address the criminal elements of sexting may support the idea that teen sexting is best addressed by parents and school administrators rather than by the criminal justice system.
Source: CBS News, "One in four teens admit to sexting, study finds," Michelle Castillo, July 3, 2012
Source: http://www.marylandcriminallawblog.com/2012/07/more-studies-examine-prevalence-of-teen-sexting.shtml
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