You looked! Really, do I need any more title than that?
The recent MTV/Associated Press poll on teens and technology asked people ages 14 to 24 a very specific question: whether somebody had ever sent them, on their phone or computer, naked pictures of themselves. Eighteen percent of respondents said that had happened. I would say this is not specifically “sexting,” which semantically would refer to phones only.
But the important thing is the clarity of the question. “Naked” is more specific than “sexy” or “suggestive” or “semi-nude,” words pollsters used in a survey last year for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. In some 14-year-old minds, “Hey babe!” might qualify as sexy and a swimsuit might qualify as semi-nude. Not surprisingly, that poll resulted in higher numbers.
I'm not sure this is really happening in any large number. I'd hope it is an urban myth sort of like the "sex in the stairwell" thing... something that might have happened in a few places but is by no means commonplace.
ReplyDeleteOf course, this can all be prevented by not allowing children to have computers and cell phones. Just saying.