Sexting Is a Modern Trend in Communication Research Paper

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Sexting is a modern trend in communication that raises a number of legal and ethical issues. The word itself is a portmanteau of "sex" and "texting," the latter referring to the sending of messages either via a smartphone or online through texting software. The sex element involves a wide variety of activities, but of most concern is the "digital exchange of sexually explicit images between teenagers using text messaging services on camera-equipped cell phones (Eraker, 2000) or on their laptop computers using messaging services and the built-in cameras. Sexting among consenting adults is not considered an issue of importance, but when minors are involved it is a significant issue covering a number of different subjects, including law, education and social work. This paper will begin with a preliminary study of the literature on sexting, and then propose directed research on the subject.

Mitchell, Finkelhor, Jones & Wolak (2011) found in their study that incidents of sexting are relatively low, but still in significant numbers. In their study, 7.1% of respondents aged 10 through 17 said that they had received nude or nearly nude images of others; and 5.9% said that they had received sexually explicit images. Further, 2.5% said that they had appeared in or created nude pictures or videos, and 1% had done appeared in or created sexually explicit content. Other sources put the numbers much higher (Celizic, 2009).

From a social perspective, anecdotal evidence suggests that sexting can be very harmful to some participants. Celizic (2009) relates the story of one teenaged girl who sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend. When that relationship ended, he distributed the images to other girls, and those girls began harassing the victim. The victim eventually committed suicide because of the bullying. A search of news reports on the subject reveals that this basic scenario has been repeatedly frequent, with suicide often the ending for the victim.

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Brown, Keller and Stern (2009) note that teens spend 6-7 hours per day interacting with different media forms. They often use "the Internet to find sexual health information, and social networking to express sexual identity and desires, and to find and maintain relationships." Sexting is a natural result of this, perhaps as teens are less capable of compartmentalizing. They see online media forms and instant messaging not only as a natural part of life, but as an extension of their identity. If they want to express themselves sexually, for many teens it is only natural to use the Internet or instant messaging as a medium. Most teens are likely unaware of the consequences in the same way that adults, having learned the Internet instead of having been raised from birth with it, are.

From a legal standpoint, sexting has also become a significant issue in the past few years. Wastler (2010) notes that "creating, possessing or disseminating sexually explicit photographs of a minor, even when self-produced, may violate state and federal child pornography statutes." She notes that while child pornography laws were enacted to address other crimes, images from sexting would not be exempt under current legislation. Sexting constitutes a deviation from norms regarding child pornography cases, however, in that the child involved is typically involved willingly in the production of the material, and it is often minors who are in possession of the material and disseminating the material. Moreover, child pornography laws do not in any way address the consequences of bullying related to sexting.

Richards and Calvert (2009) analyze some of the cases that emerged with respect to the application of the law. They note that prosecutors have pursued legal action against the teens who produced the material, and teens who possessed the material,….....

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