Private MD News

What are the dangers of sexting?

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

While all of the sexually active population could benefit from HIV and sexually transmitted disease prevention programs, young Americans in particular need to be told about the importance of utilizing STD testing services and practicing safer sex. This population not only has higher STD rates than other age groups, but has also been know to engage in risky sexual practices, such as sexting - the act of sending or receiving sexually explicit text messages, pictures or videos. Recently, researcher from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health set out to determine how common this practice is among young people living in an urban environment.

The scientists discovered that sexting is in fact fairly common among urban youth. This could increase the demographic's risk of contracting an STD, since previous research has shown that teens who engage in sexting may be more likely to have sex than those who do not.

A growing issue
The researchers collected data from more than 1,000 10th graders in a large urban school district. They discovered that 20 percent of students claimed to have sent a nude or partially-nude photo or sexually explicit text message, while 30 percent said they had received such content.

Furthermore, these messages and images are not just staying with their intended recipient, but often end up getting shown to other people. One-third of young people surveyed said they had shown or received texts that were meant to be kept private.

"In the relatively new discipline of cyberpsychology, we seek to explore the many challenges of current behavior that social networking potentiates. Certainly, such research enables us to better prepare for the behavioral changes that advances in Internet technology will continue to bring," said Brenda Wiederhold, Ph.D., M.B.A., editor-in-chief of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, in which the study was published.

A dangerous trend
According to an article published by Psychology Today, there are many potential dangers associated with sexting. For example, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch found that more than 76 percent of students who said they were propositioned to sext admitted to having had sexual intercourse. This is particularly concerning consider that young people have a disproportionately high rate of STDs, which suggests many of them may not be using condoms when engaging in sexual activity.

Furthermore, many teens may not realize that aside from having emotional and physical consequences, sexting may have legal ramifications as well. Sending sexually explicit images of underage individuals can be a crime, even if they are being sent by underage individuals, which is why people need to know the sexting laws in their state.

The Psychology Today article urged parents to explain to their kids the dangers of sexting - such as what they send out may not remain private - as well as the fact that acting out sexually could increase their risk of contracting an STD.

Parents who believe that their children may be sexually active should make sure that they have access to STD testing services. While it may be uncomfortable for parents to talk to their kids about STDs, it's better to have an awkward conversation about prevention and testing than for parents to discover down the road that their child has a sexual infection or virus. Also, parents may want to consider monitoring their children's text messages when they are at an impressionable age, to make sure that they are using their phones safely and responsibly, and not sending or receiving anything explicit.