How To Stop Adolescents and Teens From 'Sexting

How To Stop Adolescents and Teens From 'Sexting' ...by Bill Knell

"Sexting' has become the 'playing doctor' of the twenty-first century among adolescents. In the days before cell phones and home computers, parents were annoyed and embarrassed when they caught one of their kids stripping naked with a sibling or neighborhood child. Although considered innocent exploration back in those times, it was still not acceptable behavior and most children that engaged in it were tutored on why they should not take their clothes off and expose themselves to other kids or visa versa.

The real problem is puberty. It affects each child differently and can cause some to get in real trouble. Adolescents begin to enter puberty at different ages. Girls are usually first, but many boys begin to get curious about their bodies and those of others before showing all the outward signs. Enter technology: children are being given cell phones at younger ages these days to provide their parents with a quick way to make sure their kids are alright or track them down quickly when they do not check in on time. The vast majority of these phones have cameras and kids know how to use them.

Whether it is 'sexting' or playing doctor in the attic, the concept is the same. There are some adolescents and teens that want to see other kids naked, and others who enjoy showing their bodies off to their peers. Like it or not, it has always been that way. When these two kinds of kids get together, watch out! It is a perfect storm for trouble and an open invitation to taking and sending each other naughty pictures.

While 'sexting' could be nothing more than a kind of innocent flirtation as far as teens are concerned, it never seems to end well. When the romantic flame goes out, former boy or girl friends use naughty photos against each other by sharing and posting them online. Even worse, there are more than a few adolescents and teens that have become collectors of those kinds of pictures and that places them squarely up against child pornography laws.

It will not be long before we see kids that are just ten or eleven years old being labeled as sex offenders because of all this. A recent study of junior and senior high school kids showed that up to 22 percent admitted having been photographed without their clothes on, having photographed others who were naked, or having shared nude photos with others using cell phones or other technology. That's why you have to do everything possible to keep your kids from getting involved with those kinds of things in the first place.

Opening the lines of communication is a great way to stop your child from 'sexting' or acting in an inappropriate manner with other kids. Explain to them the need for modesty. Even if their best friend says something like, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," the answer always has to be a resounding "No" because that kind of activity is not acceptable outside of a school shower room. It can and often does lead to inappropriate touching which is something that adolescents are emotionally unprepared for and you need to make them understand that.

If your child is being pressured to remove their clothes, touch or be touched by a peer or anyone, you need to know about it and make sure that they are ready and willing to report it to you. Kids often feel that parents will yell at them or punish them if they tattle on a friend, relative or someone else that is trying to get them to do something wrong. Once they know that their parents are not going to hold them responsible for that kind of a situation, the way is clear for them to report any instances of inappropriate behavior directed towards them.

Make sure that your child understands that taking, sending, receiving or possessing photos of nude minors (including themselves) is not only ill-advised, it is illegal. Show them the web sites that list sex offenders and ask them if they would like to be considered one. Let them know all the consequences of being caught taking or sharing inappropriate photos. Ask them if they would like to walk down their street being pointed at by all their friends and neighbors as a criminal convicted of a sex crime? That should help drive the point home to them.

Children live in the now, so explain to your child that sent photos cannot be taken back. Once they are out there, it is almost certain that they will be shared and uploaded online. Surveys say that it is usually a best friend or close relative that is guilty of sharing photos meant for their eyes only. The temptation to score peer points is just too great. Your child needs to know that when it comes to taking, sharing or possessing nude photos, no one can or should be trusted.

Sleep-overs have become grand opportunities for kids to photograph each other naked. Whether they pose for the photos, or someone they trust partially undresses them and takes photos while they sleep, the result is the same and it is not good. I highly recommend that parents confiscate cell phones and digital cameras during sleep-overs and well before bedtime. There is no way to know what kids are doing unless you are right there in the room with them at all times and that just is not a practical solution.

'Sexting' is not just a cell phone thing. Kids use web cams and email to get that nasty job done. Parents should always have a list of all their children's email accounts and regularly check them. The same for computer files. This will not make you the most popular parent in the world, but popularity is not your mission. Your mission is to try and get your kid to their eighteenth birthday without harming themselves or others in physical or emotional ways. You not only need to teach your child values, but enforce them as long as they are underage and live in your home.

One way to be sure that older teens stay away from 'sexting' is to insist that you own and pay for their phone. If that is the case, be sure your teen understands that if they take or share nude photos, they lose their texting privileges altogether. If you have already caught your kid taking or sending nude photos, it is time for some serious tough love in the form of no texting, weekly phone inspections and serious punishments if they violate the rules. Cell phone companies now offer parents many options to help prevent things like 'sexting' and you should ask them about that when setting up a cell phone account for a minor of any age.

Bill can be contacted on FACEBOOK
Informative, Provocative, Exciting Books (ebook and paperback formats) by Bill Knell and others…
Bill Knell's books are available on Ebay (Rating 5/5), Walmart, Amazon, Lulu, GoodReads, Kobo and more. Some titles are available in Spanish
Radio Personalities that book me as a guest for their shows call me The UFO GUY.‭ ‬This book covers my early life experiences and investigations. As you’ll soon discover, my life has always been surrounded by the paranormal and unusual events. People that have experienced the unexplained have been drawn to me, and I to them. - Bill Knell
eBook
Paperback

eBook
paperback
ebook hispano

This is not just another Vampire Story. It's the amazing tale of a powerful being bent on revenge. Discover how a common man became The Dark Master and move with him through the centuries until he winds up in New York City. It's there that we meet the fascinating characters that interact with him over one hundred years. It's there that he reaches into the heart of the New York City Mob and pulls out a man in need of his unique powers. Stay off the streets of NYC at night… He's hungry!
ebook
paperback
ebook hispano

True TALES of people who experienced a parallel Earth event.
ebook
ebook hispano

The belief in life after death is a common belief among most of the world’s civilizations and that may have been the birth of the idea of ghosts and spirits. The Vampire persona has evolved from many true and untrue facts, legends and myths. At various times vampires, real and imagined, have been considered fiends, supernatural beings, shape-shifters, mentally disturbed deviants, satanic servants and fetish followers...
ebook
ebook hispano

ebook
paperback
ebook hispano

ebook
paperback
ebook hispano

WARNING: Sexual Situations
ebook
paperback
Llllppp
What they will not tell you about marriage and relationships
ebook
ebook hispano

eBook
paperback
ebook hispano

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook

ebook

WARNING: Sexual Situations
ebook
paperback

ebook

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback
ebook hispano

ebook
paperback
eBook hispano

ebook
paperback
ebook hispano

ebook
paperback
ebook hispano

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

ebook
paperback

This is a true story about Sex Workersl.I know because I witnessed most of what you will read about. The rest I gleaned from long conversations with some of the people involved… WARNING: SOME EXPLICIT DESCRIPTIONS
ebook
ebook hispano

ebook
ebook hispano

Kailey Fields offers readers fresh and very human fiction stories that are unique, yet relatable.

The seeds of her self-doubt had been sown in her early years. She'd been relentlessly bullied in school for being different, for her passion for gaming, which had been dismissed as a “boy thing.” That hurt had left deep scars. Creating Lemonade had been a shield, a way to deflect the negativity she faced in the real world. It was a safe space where she could be celebrated for her skills, her wit, and her personality, instead of facing ridicule.

kindle and hardcover

The air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. Each step crunched on the forest floor, a sound amplified in the suffocating silence of the Blackwood Forest. My breath hitched in my throat, a thin plume of white mist disappearing into the inky blackness. The only light came from my lantern, a feeble spark against the overwhelming darkness that pressed in from all sides, swallowing the forest in its shadowy embrace. Above, the branches of ancient trees twisted like skeletal fingers, their gnarled silhouettes scratching at the moonless sky.
ebook, paperback or hardcover

The darkness claimed me, swallowing me whole. But in death, a twisted metamorphosis occurred. The venom of betrayal, the searing agony of death, transformed into a cold, unrelenting fire. I became a specter, an instrument of vengeance. The chilling weight of my decomposing body became a burden that fueled my relentless pursuit.
kindle, paperback or hardcover

Grandma Elara's tales filled the quiet evenings at her house. The aroma of woodsmoke and simmering herbs hung heavy in the air, mingling with the scent of old books and the comforting warmth of her presence. Her cozy old house seemed to hum with a gentle energy, a place where ancient stories and timeless secrets intertwined. The antique furniture, each piece telling a story of its own, seemed to come alive as she spun her tales, the very atmosphere of the house adding to the mystique of the Ceasg and its watery realm.
kindle, paperback or hardcover

Cerelia, a museum employee with a penchant for the obscure and a healthy dose of skepticism tempered by an insatiable curiosity, had been cleaning the newly acquired collection of ancient artifacts. She was meticulous, and painstaking in her work, a sharp contrast to the hurried pace of the city outside the museum walls. She liked the quiet solitude of the museum, a world apart from the noisy urban jungle. She found solace in the relics of the past, each object whispering a story of bygone eras.
kindle, paperback or hardcover

Aislinn felt it too, a growing sense of unease, not just from the tales of a missing Prince, but from the visions teased by the necklace. The shadowed figure, the one with piercing eyes and a cruel smile,haunted her dreams and even invaded her waking moments. He was connected to the necklace, a palpable sense of threat radiating from the glowing pendant. The prince's fate, she now realized, was entwined with her own. And somewhere, a darkness waited, a darkness that the necklace seemed both to warn her about and guide her towards. The quiet village of Oakhaven, with its familiar rhythms and predictable patterns, could no longer contain her.

kindle, paperback or hardcover

The seeds of her self-doubt had been sown in her early years. She'd been relentlessly bullied in school for being different, for her passion for gaming, which had been dismissed as a “boy thing.” That hurt had left deep scars. Creating Lemonade had been a shield, a way to deflect the negativity she faced in the real world. It was a safe space where she could be celebrated for her skills, her wit, and her personality, instead of facing ridicule.
paperback

She traced the lines on her palm, searching for a familiar scar, a birthmark, anything to tether herself to a stable identity. Nothing. Even her own body felt slightly different, as if her reflection in the warped mirror across the room was an imposter. The subtle variations – the way her hair fell, a new freckle on her cheek, the faintest shift in her eyes – were enough to unsettle her further. It was as if she was perpetually teetering on the edge of a precipice, the ground constantly shifting beneath her feet.

eBook, paperback or hardcover

Visit Bill Knell on Facebook