Why is it so Surprising that 20% of Teens are Sexting?
Image from ehow.com
According to a new Harris poll, 1 in 5 teens use their cell phones or email to “sext” with other teens. The official definition of sexting, by the way, is “send or receive sexually suggestive, nude or nearly nude photos through cellphone text messages or e-mail.” The highest percentage, nearly 25%, comes from 17-year olds, with 18-year olds coming in a close second at 20%.
I’m not sure why this is a surprise to anyone — in fact, I’m surprised that the percentage is that low. Here are some other things that 20% or more of U.S. teens around that age are doing:
44% of high school seniors admit to drinking alcohol in the last month*
32% admit to smoking marijuana in the last month*
47% of teens admit to having sexual intercourse at least once, and 14% have had sex with four or more partners (actually it’s a little higher for boys: 16.5%)**
23 % of those sexually active kids admit to drinking alcohol and/or using drugs before having sex**
31% of all teenage girls will be pregnant at least once before they turn 20***
29.8% of male teenagers admit to carrying a gun, knife or club on their person within the last 30 days**
And we could go on and on.
The point being, risky activity among teenagers is remarkably consistent across the board. Is that because teens are inherently irrational, irresponsible or simply ignorant? No. It’s because–unfortunately for all of us with kids in or near their teenage years–the adolescent brain is a risk machine.
A great study came out about this a couple years ago (you can find a PDF of it here) — here’s an abstract snippet:
The temporal gap between puberty, which impels adolescents toward thrill seeking, and the slow maturation of the cognitive-control system, which regulates these impulses, makes adolescence a time of heightened vulnerability for risky behavior.
The teen brain is caught in a perilous zone between heightened risk arousal and cognitive control under construction. Which also explains why, when asked, teens routinely say they know the behaviors they’re engaging in are risky. The Harris poll on sexting included questions to that effect, and no surprise that the kids said, “yeah, we know.”
So what’s the answer? Hell if I know. I’m a parent trying to figure this stuff out. None of the statistics cited above should be viewed in a cavalier way — this is very serious, and the dangers are very real. Somehow we parents (primarily, with teachers backing us up) have to find a way to allow our kids to find their own depth without letting them drown.
One thing in all of this is clear – the worst thing you can do is lose the ability to communicate with your kids, because the little buggers are crafty and learn alarmingly fast how to get around talking to you about what’s really going on. 40% of the kids in the Harris poll said that their parents have no idea what they are doing online or with cell phones. To those parents, all I can say is: Wake the f*** up.
–David DiSalvo
Statistics from:
**CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveilance Study
***National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
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If there is one thing that’s going to increase this % it’s giving the thing a catchy name and publishing surveys about how everyone’s doing it…
Ok, I’m not a parent, but not sure why this is so dangerous? I certainly can understand swapping suggestive pics of themselves is not desirable. But swapping suggestive text msgs strikes me as pretty harmless and just another form of flirting a part of growing up.
[...] 20% of Teens Are Sexting – Why Is This a Surprise to Anyone? — Ryan Sager – “The adolescent brain is a risk machine.” Well said, but often forgotten. Environmental factors are undeniably important, but it helps to remember just how much of teenage behavior comes hard-wired. [...]