"It’s a social, online world kids live in and sending these images and messages is part of their sexual relationships so it’s really a new form of courtship."UPDATE 12/19/14: Teen Students Across America Learn to Produce & Distribute Child Pornography
-- Anne Mitchell of La Trobe University’s Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society
UPDATE 2/28/16: Sexting so Common, New Mexico Legalizes Self-produced Child Pornography
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
Vermont May Legalize Child Porn Among Children
Education Experts Say Use Porn in Teaching Sex Ed
Homosexual Teacher Jailed: Paying Boys to Sext Him
Gay Teacher Sexting Boy Resigns, Media Silent
Sex in New Jersey Kindergarten, Nobody Blames Culture
Pornography Creates 5-year-old Sex Offenders
-- From "'Sexting' is new courtship', parents are told" by Miranda Prynne, News Reporter, UK Telegraph 5/5/14
Nearly three quarters of 15 to 18-year-olds have sent sexually explicit text messages while half have sent naked or semi-naked photos and videos of themselves, the research for the Australian government found.
In a separate study it emerged that one in five iPhone owners have ‘sexted’ the wrong person with one admitted sending a “lusty” text meant for her husband to her business partner while another sent an explicit photo to his mother-in-law rather than his wife.
Some 84 per cent of the teenagers questioned said they have received explicit messages by phone or email.
The survey, which quizzed more than 2,100 students across Australia, found that 70 per cent were sexually active . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Sexting among kids a modern day courtship: Survey" posted at India Today 5/6/14
Peer pressure drives young people to share sexual images through mobile phones - a new phenomenon described as sexting
"It appears to be happening universally and, while we need to be aware of the harm that can come if those messages are sent out far and wide or misused, it does not appear to be doing harm for the majority of kids," Mitchell noted in a Sydney Morning Herald report.
According to researchers, "Parents need to stop panicking about the use of technology and trust their kids - talk to them about their relationships, treating others well, having the kind of sex they want and being safe".
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "I wanna sext you up: teens shun bedroom for online romance" by Jill Stark, Senior writer for The Sunday Age (Australia) 5/2/14
More than half (54 per cent) of all those surveyed have received sexually explicit written text messages, 42 per cent have received explicit, nude or nearly nude photos or videos, and a quarter have sent such images or videos. Among sexually active students, more than two-thirds are engaging in sexting.
More than 70 per cent of those surveyed said they had no regrets after having sex, while 54 per cent of those who were not sexually active were "proud to say no", and half wanted to be in love before losing their virginity.
Erin Filan,18, finished year 12 at a Catholic girls school in Northern Sydney last year, and is a member of the Youth Brains Trust at Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre – a not-for-profit group exploring the role of technology in young people’s lives. She says older generations often misunderstand the way teenagers interact online and argues sexting is just another form of sexual expression.
Matthew Church, an 18-year-old from Melbourne, and also a Brains Trust member, said sexting was "intimacy on-the-go" for a mobilised generation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Barrington students face child porn charges in sexting case" by Doug T. Graham, Daily Herald (Chicago suburbs) 5/1/14
Two Barrington middle school students face possession of child pornography charges alleging they texted sexually explicit photos and video of a fellow student to a "large group of classmates," according to police.
According to a statement released by Barrington Unit District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard, the allegations could lead to felony dispositions against the boys.
"These students and their parents find themselves in a severe situation," Leonard writes. "Their futures may be forever stamped by the careless use of an app, the tease of a text message, the unthinking post of an indecent photo."
Jeff Arnett, the chief communications officer for the school district, said the boys obtained the images from a student who self-shot the photos and video.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "No charges will be filed in Rotolo 'sexting' incident" by Eric Schelkopf, Kane County (Illinois) Chronicle 5/6/14
Batavia Police Detective Kevin Bretz on Monday said the department decided that educating the students on the proper and improper use of social media was a better idea than charging them.
Police had been investigating the case of inappropriate nude images that police said were taken by Rotolo Middle School students of themselves and shared with other students.
Six or seven students sent photos of themselves through cellphone text messages, Bretz said. Between 20 to 24 students received the photos.
Under state law, it is illegal for those younger than the age of 18 to distribute lewd photos using their cellphones or computers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
