Tween girls as young as 10 are SEXTING
Image by Peter π via Flickr
A new survey released today from the nation’s leading tween girl marketing consultancy and research company, AK Tweens, shows an alarming trend among tween girls — sexting. Believed by most experts and parents to be a “teen” only problem, the survey revealed that 30% of tween girls — many as young as 10 years old — are “sexting” — sending, receiving and/or posting sexy messages/photos e.g. photos of themselves in their underwear, or without clothes, messages of a sexual or suggestive nature online and via cell phone/email.
If you’re thinking or hoping that tween girls don’t really understand what sexting is… that maybe their definition of sexty messages/photos isn’t the same as teens, young adults and adults, brace yourself. We asked the girls to give us examples of “Sexting”… here’s what they said:
“Message: You can do whatever you want babe 
”
“Someone is nude or showing too much skin or acting ’sexy’ in a picture. Messages would be like sendin things that say what they would want to do with them in bed.”
“You exposing your body parts or you making out with someone or having sex.”
“A picture that one of your friends takes of you while your in your undewear while you’re playing around at a sleep over, and then texts it to one of her guy friends.”
WHY? When asked why they send or post sexy messages/photos, 82.2% said to get attention, 66.3% said to be “cool,” 59.4% said to be like the popular girls, and 54.8% said to find a boyfriend.
What does this mean to parents of tween girls? Most parents of tween girls have a false sense of security that their daughters aren’t old enough to know or care about sexting let alone participate, so they are less likely to talk about sexting and the consequences. They mistake not hearing about it from their daughters as a sign that it’s not happening, when instead, it’s likely a sign that they just aren’t telling their parents about it. Even the recent spate of media attention sexting has received has been almost exclusively focused on teens. Tweens are just as tech savvy and connected these days as their teen counterparts, but even less equipped to understand or deal with the negative and long lasting consequences sexting produces.
What should parents do? Talk to their daughters (and sons). It’s no different than “Don’t jump in the car with the strange man.” The problem is that many parents don’t really understand who the “strange man” is and they don’t know how to talk about it, so they don’t talk about it… until it’s too late. That’s why we conducted this survey… to help parents understand what’s really going on… and to know that their tweens need their help before it’s too late.
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Do 30 percent of 10 and 11 year olds have cell phones? My son is in 5th grade, prime “tween” time, and few of the kids have cell phones or text at all.
Karen. Hi. Based on the girls who took this survey (national): 42.8% of the 10-year-old girls reported that they have cell phones and 72.6% of the 11-year-old girls have cell phones.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] was a good idea until I went on the site to copy the link and saw the head story. It was titled Tween girls as young as 10 are sexting, which is about young girls sending text messages with sexual innuendos to male [...]
OK then the percentage sexting would actually be a bit lower, wouldn’t it? Not that you haven’t highlighted a problem, but maybe not as widespread?
Karen,
In response to another comment. See in context »The survey is for girls ages 9-15, not just 10 year olds. Of the girls who responded, 30% said they send/receive/post sexy messages or photos (using cell phones and computers). Sexting started out as a term for mobile phones, but has expanded to include computers. Does that clarify the confusion?
yes, thanks denise. I guess i’m really just wishing that it isn’t true because it’s really disturbing.
In response to another comment. See in context »Karen,
In response to another comment. See in context »I agree.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124026115528336397.html
It’s not as if girls, even young girls, never tried to look sexy, or grown up, at a young age. That sort of thing, as any old nun from the old Catholic schools can tell you, was going on long before our time. Sure the behaviour was noticed, corrected, and (hopefully) curbed, but it was always there.
Personal communication tools have changed the paradigm entirely. The behavior is the same, but the recording of such is what is different, and the perception of what was recorded, separated from the moment and any context as to what was going on, is what exacerbates the situation.
James, Yes. And tweens will go to the extreme to get peer approval and attention. They aren’t thinking before they hit the send button. Tweens usually don’t connect the dots between actions… and consequences.
In response to another comment. See in context »Denise: Great post. So sad, this is. And thanks for bringing this to my attention. I had no idea. As someone deeply concerned with pop culture, media, technology and also matters fo faith and morality, this deeply disturbs me–but also gives me reason to stay on top of this issue and spread the word to unsuspecting readers and parents.
Lou: It is sad, especially because these girls really don’t understand the consequences or think before they send. We’re doing a new survey this week on what scares tween girls… so far the leaders are parent(s) dying, being raped, being kidnapped, and not being able to breathe. But we only have 110 responses (just posted it tonight)… so these can change… stay tuned!
In response to another comment. See in context »