Apparently sexting (or teens sending each other homemade pornographic images using their phones) has become a viral practice. I would like to share something with you:
I have been sexted.
While I have never sexted, I have gotten the messages before and literally, not known what to do. I was utterly shocked once, and then another time I burst out laughing. I assume a guy would not respond well to the laughing.
You are probably gathering now that this has happened to me more than once. The most recent occurrence happened a couple months ago. A guy from a blind date the next morning decided to send me a picture of himself. Himself himself. And there handn’t been so much as a goodnight kiss before!
Right now, this is an issue reported as coming from teens…mini-Gen-Yers? But I know the practice is taking place across the ranks. Is sexting similar to the use of anonymity online? Does it feel safer?
Perhaps. As a teen, I know that there are a lot of mixed messages out there, and I know confidence is low. A teen may turn to sexting as a way to get over the awkward initial stages of sharing yourself with someone…physically and emotionally.
But why do adults sext? According to Fox News, “A high school teacher in Murfreesboro has been added to the state sex offender registry after pleading guilty to sending sexual messages to two female students.”
Really? Not only is a grown man sexting, but he’s a teacher sexting to his students? You can’t even say, “Don’t stand so close to me” anymore. You get caught in a scandal (or create one yourself) phone to phone.
There are already enough arguments out there saying that people (young ones) put too much of themselves out there on the internet. Throw in sexting, and apparently we have no self-respect.
What are your thoughts on sexting? Do you think it shows a lack of self-respect?
The views expressed in my blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
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