December 2009 Archives

A poll by the Pew Research Center says one in seven kids from 12 to 17 have received nude or semi-nude photos via texting on their cell phones.

Reports The Washington Post:

Helping to define the little-understood trend in teen life, the poll found that 15 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have received sexually suggestive photos or videos on their personal cellphones. Just 4 percent acknowledged sending a naked image.

Older teens were more likely to report sexting, with 30 percent of 17-year-olds saying they had received such pictures, compared with 4 percent of 12-year-olds, according to the report by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.

The provocative photos are usually sent as part of a romantic relationship -- or one that is wished-for, the study found. Along with being polled, teens were interviewed in focus groups, with their most sensitive answers given anonymously in writing.

"Most people are too shy to have sex," one young high-schooler wrote. "Sexting is not as bad."

Another noted how a couple's breakup led to a girl's naked image being forwarded to "like everyone at school," which he said "ruined high school" for the girl.

Said a high school girl: "If a guy wants to hook up with you, he'll send you pictures of his private parts or a naked picture. . . . It happens about 10 times a month."

Not exactly what the parent of a teenager wants to hear.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Some charges have been dismissed against two Warner Robins Middle School students who allegedly engaged in oral sex in a classroom while a substitute teacher and other students were present.

Houston County Sheriff's Lt. Randall Banks said the eighth-grade students admitted during a Houston County Juvenile Court hearing Monday to public indecency and disruption of public school.

Banks said all other charges, including sodomy and violation of probation against the male, were dismissed as part of an agreement reached between the district attorney's office and lawyers representing the students.

The female was released to the custody of her parents Monday. Banks said the male will continue to be detained at the Crisp Regional Youth Detention Center because he was on probation.

One of the necessary tasks that every parent of a teenager faces is "the talk," the discussion about sex and the "fact of life."

However, it appears too many parents are waiting too late to discuss sex with their children. The talk often comes after the fact.

Reports U.S. News & World Report:

When it comes to talking about sex, parents are a few paces behind their kids.

Too often, the birds-and-the-bees conversation occurs after, and not before, kids start experimenting sexually, possibly in risky ways, reports a study in the January issue of Pediatrics.

This revelation comes despite American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that health-care providers and parents talk to their kids about sex and sexuality early in life.

"Parents are a little behind the 8 ball. They underestimate their children's sexual knowledge and interest and behaviors," said Dr. Lawrence Friedman, director of adolescent medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

"It's a hard subject for many parents to broach, but the level of sexual activity in many kids has moved up in terms of initiation. It's younger," added Alan Hilfer, director of psychology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City. "Talking about it is very helpful in terms of disease prevention, unwanted pregnancy and even issues around relationships."