Sexting: An online danger teenagers fall prey to

Parents of teens cannot take innocence for granted. Your child is on the way to becoming an adult and is open to all the complications and threats of grown-ups, without the maturity of an adult mind. A very common threat is sexting. Sexting is the exchange of sexually explicit words or photos, by email, text message, WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok or any online forum. As use of mobiles and the internet is now an inseparable part of life, sexting has become extremely common among teenagers in all countries.  

Why do teenagers sext? 
Teenagers might take to sexting for a variety of reasons, including an urge to explore or experiment with their sexuality, to communicate with a boy or girl they otherwise find unapproachable or vulnerable. Sexting may indicate that your teen is a bully or is being bullied, stalked, or taken advantage of. In many teenagers, sexting is indicative of greater perversions with very deep reasons. Another dominant reason for sexting is peer pressure. Boys and girls do not want to feel left out or be labelled as timid, so they may start sexting out of performance pressure, not because they enjoy it.  

What should you do as a parent?  
If you discover that your adolescent has been sending explicit pictures and messages to someone, it is crucial that you stay calm. There may be a number of reasons why they’ve sent an indecent image, so it is key that you listen first and try to act accordingly instead of throwing a tantrum or jumping to conclusions. Find out who they have shared the image with and why. Try to find out as much as you can about the recipient. Find out if your teen has posted the image or a related message on a social media space or any other public site. Contact the site administrator and ask for the image to be deleted. If your teenager is unwilling to reveal much and starts displaying shock or withdrawal symptoms, go for medical help without delay. In case the person with whom the images and messages are being shared turns out to be an adult, and you fear coercion, report to the police.