There has been a lot written lately about the new phenomenon known as sexting .
For parents and other adults these media moral panics can be scary and confusing.
So it is important to first understand exactly what sexting is.
Sexting is defined as to trade images with dirty messages, nude or sexually explicit photos, often in reference to teenagers.
In essence, it is the act of sending nude or semi-nude pictures (or videos) of yourself over your phone.
For young people (teens) it creates all sorts of problems.
Sending "inappropriate" pictures of children to another is an offence but with sexting what tends to happen is one party (normally the girl) sends a picture that she believes is private to her boyfriend who in turn shares the photos with all his and her friends and before the girl knows it, she is the latest unwilling porn star of the school.
It obviously shows that the emotional stress, not to mention the embarrassment this causes to all concerned is irreparable.
While there are some cases of girls who willingly allow their pictures to be taken and passed around, many times the girls involved are unwilling participants in this trend.
It is crucial that parents inform themselves of this and work with both their teen boys and girls to help them understand the ramifications of sexting.
Some of the things parents can do are: ·When a sexting incident hits the news, talk to your child, ask her what her thoughts on sexting are.
Would she ever do it and under what circumstances? What does she think the real consequences could be? You may be surprised at your teen's answers.
·It is crucial to have conversations with your daughter about trust and what it really means to trust someone else.
The same with respect; how do sexting and respect go together, if at all? While boys are also involved in sexting, studies show that girls are far more trusting and more likely to be coerced into this type of behavior.
·Since girls tend to be victimized more often in sexting it can help to increase her own self-worth and self esteem by picking out her good qualities, for example, telling her that you appreciate her kindness rather than thanking her for helping her sister.
Pointing out the qualities in the things that she does will help her to appreciate who she really is, so she will be less likely to seek outside recognition.
·Talk about sex; be open and honest about what is happening for teens today.
Denying that this is happening or that your son or daughter will do right because they have been brought up properly will just not cut it nowadays.
While there is some talk about taking cameras out of cell phones to stop this happening, this is not really the answer.
The answer is education and open communication and letting your teen know they have a choice and they know the consequences of each choice.
While refusing to take a photo may mean a boyfriend leaves her or she cannot be in the gang and taking a picture could mean that the whole school gets to see her in her underwear knowing this, what would she choose? It is important to understand that just saying that we do not agree with it will not stop it.
Parents should accept that this does happen and prepare their child by supporting her to make the right choice for her.
Enabling our teens to make the smart choices and educating them about the dangers and pitfalls of sexting will help them make the right decision.