For the past century, parents have worried about all the morally inappropriate things kids are exposed to on a daily basis. Every form of media seems to foster sexual immorality since Professor Clark Hetherington condemned the publication of racy magazines and movies way back in 1914.
Today, your kids are exposed to a whole lot more than tell-all magazines and racy movies. The Internet is a new frontier serving up all kinds of lewd messages to your children. Without proper guidance and oversight, your kids will go down a deep and dangerous rabbit hole.
Sexting
The sensual and sexual nature of our society has morals at an all-time low. The average teen sends out more than 3,000 messages every month. And there is a good chance a significant number of these messages consist of sexually suggestive images of themselves. Essentially, teens today have a broader avenue to explore their sexuality compared to previous decades. And a vast majority of children and teens have taken up sexting as a normal way to express themselves. Their raging hormones coupled with curiosity may be the reason why so many of them are sexting.
A report by the “New York Times” last year showed the pervasiveness of sexting among teens. More than 100 students admitted to sending suggestive pictures of themselves. That’s just one school.
By helping your teen avoid sexting or stopping them from sexting, you’ll help them avoid future problems, as well as helping them make a better life for themselves.
Helping Your Teen Avoid Sexting
- Establish and Maintain Open Communication. Always show interest in your teen’s life. Develop an open line of communication so as to build trust with your child. Cultivating a trust-based relationship greatly helps you identify issues involved with sexting.
- Talk About Sexting. The best way to bring up sexting and control what your teen sees is by talking about it. However, don’t accuse your teen about it or take on a hostile approach while talking to them. This will only make them clam up. Rather, you can start by talking about something different and then transition into talking about sexting. Take on an exploratory approach and ask your child if they have ever sexted.
If they admit it, don’t get angry. Rather, inform your teen of the dangers. Sexting is illegal even if it’s a child involved. Proceed to ask them to take care of what they gets into, and ask your teen if you can help monitor who they send messages to—just to make sure they don’t get involved in anything nasty.
You’d be surprised at how well your child responds if you take a friendly approach to sexting. Your teen will let you into their life, and you can help filter their messages.