Sexting - Response to CNN's "'Sexting' Lands Teen on Sex Offender List" Article

A recent article on CNN.com told the story of Phillip Alpert, an eighteen year old who was arrested and charged with felony child pornography distribution after sending a nude picture of his 16 year old girlfriend to friends and family following an argument. The picture is classified as part of a growing phenomenon among teens known as sexting. Sexting is where a person sends a nude picture of themselves to someone else, usually using a cell phone.

The article raises issues of whether sexting is child pornography, and whether teens should be prosecuted for sexting. Yet, I think the article is raising the wrong issues. The greater issue pertains to why teens are sexting in the first place. I may come across as conservative, but it seems to me there is a general problem with how teens and society view sexuality as a whole.

One of the culprits to some extent is the media. On most dramas these days, there are characters who are blatantly promiscuous, sleeping around with various people, or just flaunting their bodies to anyone and everyone. Society seems to think this is okay because maybe these characters are friends or have shared an emotional experience or maybe it is just okay to have a guilt-free sexual experience.

Teens watching these shows end up thinking that it's okay or even desirable to be the same way. They flaunt their bodies or sleep around, and sexting is expression of that. Unfortunately, the sexuality that the media portrays is not guilt free in the real world. There are real emotions and real consequences.

One teen hung herself after a nude picture of her that was meant for her boyfriend was sent to multiple high schools. A recent survey from 1,300 teens revealed 1 in 5 has texted regardless of the legal ramifications. Coupling these two bits of information creates a sobering reality. This of course, does not mean that all sexters are going to commit suicide, but even if it effects one person negatively, isn't that enough?

Yet, it seems that some teens and parents are okay with sexting at least in part. The CNN article talks about one 12 year old who took photos of herself and friends in their bras. The photos ended up on a student's cell phone. I can understand innocent fun, but it seems like whenever sexuality is mixed in, on some level, innocence goes out the door.

The ultimate blame lies with both the teens and their parents. For the teens, they need to grow up and understand that as clichéd as it may sound, life is not all fun and games. There are emotional ramifications to sexting, and teens can't just act is if there's no such thing as right and wrong. Teens have fragile psyches, whether they want to admit it or not, and sexting is evidence of that.

For the parents, they need to stop trying to be the teens' best friends, and start being parents. If they are really there to protect and raise their kids, parents need to go all the way and not stop short. They should be the ones educating the teens about right and wrong, and deep down inside, I feel like people know sexting is wrong. If the parents don't feel that way... well, what a sad world that is.

Deborah Feyerick and Sheila Steffen, 'Sexting' lands teen on sex offender list, CNN.com