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Wayland Student Press

The student news site of Wayland High School

Wayland Student Press

The student news site of Wayland High School

Wayland Student Press

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Sexting epidemic strikes nation

Whether they do it to show off, to get attention, or even out of boredom, teenagers around the country have proved that sexting is no passing fad. (Photo Illustration: WSPN Staff)

In 2009, 20% teens reportedly sent or posted naked or semi-naked pictures or videos of themselves. Of these, 11% were teen girls between ages 13 and 16.

As most students know, these images almost never stay secret. A reported 48% of teens claimed to have received explicit messages. Seventeen percent of these recipients claimed they passed the images or videos along. So why are so many teens jumping on board with this trend?

According to a 2009 survey, the three most popular reasons for sexting are the assumption that others would want to see the images (52%), a desire to show off (35%), and boredom (26%). Thirty percent of teenagers also claim that they sexted as a joke or to be funny, and 12% of teenage girls claimed that they felt pressured to send sexually explicit images, texts or videos.

This might be hard to believe, but this trend actually takes place at Wayland High School and Wayland Middle School. When WSPN surveyed 45 WHS students, approximately 33% of boys and 37% of girls claimed to have sexted. Why do these students sext? According to Scott Parseghian, WHS Dean of Students, “Hormones are flying and sexuality is huge, and they just do what is popular at the time.”

These statistics alone prove that this trend is prevalent in Wayland High School, and as technological advances create easier methods of electronic communication, sexting is becoming more and more popular among teens.

Some believe that one of the many reasons this fad has become so popular is because today’s media has been glamorizing it. For example, several music artists like Ke$ha, Taio Cruz, and Beyonce have released songs that allude to or are about sending explicit photos and videos via text message.

The song, “Dirty Picture” by Ke$ha and Taio Cruz is about two individuals who want to see explicit pictures of each other. The catchy chorus repeats the lines: “Take a dirty picture/ Just send the dirty picture to me/ Send the dirty picture.” Beyonce’s hit song, “Video Phone” features provocative lyrics like these: “What you want me naked?/ If you liking this position you can tape it on your video phone.”

But music is not the only medium promoting sexting. Celebrities glamorize sexting as well. Sexually explicit images and videos exposed stars like Vanessa Hudgens, Kim Kardashian, and Paris Hilton on the Internet, and when Tiger Woods’ mistresses came forward with evidence of relationships with the athlete, many scandalous sexts were revealed in the tabloids. This attention caused a huge frenzy in the media and further sensationalized the idea of electronically sending explicit images.

The iPhone has even created a “Safe Sexting” application that gives “sexters” comfort, believing that their naked photos will be censored and can therefore be sent more liberally. The popular magazine Cosmopolitan has recommended its readers send their boyfriend or girlfriend explicit images of themselves as a fun and provocative way to keep them entertained.

Social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter give young people a convenient outlet for sending and displaying explicit photos, videos, and conversations. These sites have definitely helped fuel the popularity in sexting at Wayland High School, as well as other schools worldwide.

There have been—I think—two cases of sexting this year [by students attending Wayland schools], involving inappropriate pictures sent through text messages,” said Parseghian. “This is the first year that sexting has become such a big thing, probably because of the advances in the technology that makes it easier for students to send and take pictures.”

A lot of young people view sexting as a fun and harmless way to entertain themselves, but what many teens don’t know is that sexting can have an extremely negative and permanent effect on their lives, no matter if they are the sender or the recipient.

There are serious legal consequences to those who are caught sending or receiving explicit images or videos via text message or e-mail. According to the Berkshire District attorney’s website, it is illegal for anyone with “lascivious intent,” to knowingly encourage, cause, coerce, solicit or entice a person under 18 to be shown in a state of nudity or semi-nudity in a photograph. It is also illegal for anyone to knowingly send to any person under 18 obscene or pornographic images.

These rules also apply to underage individuals who want to forward inappropriate images of themselves. Laws like these have been put in place to prevent exploitation of children and the trafficking of child pornography. The logic is that sexting provides even more opportunities and materials for potential sex offenders.

Some punishments for breaking these rules are serious. Criminal charges for sexting can lead to up to 20 years in state prison, or fines costing as much as $50,000.00. Someone who has been convicted of this crime may have to register with the Sex Offender Registration board for 20 years.

Furthermore, felony convictions like these have an effect on students’ school lives. Expulsion or suspension from school activities and/or sports is a possible consequence, and these punishments can carry over into higher education.

Furthermore, according to a New York Times survey taken in 2002, 45% of employers who participated in the survey are now using the Internet to screen out potential candidates.

Thirty-five percent of these employers decided not to offer a position to those they perceived as irresponsible or unfit for the job. More than half of these surveyed employers claimed that provocative photos were the biggest contributor to their decision. Colleges have also been known to view the Facebook accounts of prospective students before admitting them.

Sexting can result in disastrous consequences, and students need to make sure they are aware of what can happen. If explicit pictures are leaked to the public, a person’s job, college opportunity, and reputation can be permanently jeopardized, and nothing can take it back. Students should ask themselves if it’s really worth it to follow this trend and risk becoming labeled a teenage sex offender.

Have an opinion on sexting? Think it’s trashy? Think it’s harmless?

Argue your position on WSPN Debate.

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  • G

    guiltyJun 3, 2010 at 12:42 PM

    earlier this year i was pressured into doing this. it was on the internet, via a videochat service. i didn't think it was possible to record things like a videochat…it is. i trusted this person and they completely destroyed me emotionally. though he's promised now that it's been deleted, i will never be fully sure if he's been honest about that. my advice – keep your clothes on. even though it may seem harmless at the time, you can never really be sure of who's on the other side of the screen or what they'll do with what you send.

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Sexting epidemic strikes nation