Sexting, or sharing sexually explicit content digitally, has become a growing concern among teens, with significant emotional, psychological, and legal risks. Many teens, influenced by peer pressure or curiosity, engage in sexting without fully understanding the consequences. These include:

• Legal Consequences: Teens can face criminal charges if explicit images are shared, even with consent, as it can be considered child pornography.
• Emotional and Psychological Impacts: Sexting can lead to shame, bullying, isolation, and long-term emotional distress.
• Irreversibility of Digital Sharing: Once shared, explicit content can be saved, copied, and circulated, making it impossible to fully control its distribution.

In addition to the risks of sexting, there is the danger of online predators creating fake profiles on social media, often posing as someone of the opposite gender to gain your teen’s trust. Once your child accepts their friend request, the predator will engage in conversation, building a fake relationship until they eventually ask for explicit photos. After receiving these images, the predator may threaten to share them with friends or family unless the child pays a sum of money, engaging in blackmail.

The most effective way to protect your teen from these dangers is to NEVER send explicit photos altogether.