Recently, there has been an increase in the technologically risqué activity known as sexting. If you are not familiar with the term, sexting is defined as sending sexually explicit messages or pictures electronically, usually via cell phone.
It seems as if people have gotten bored with X-rated films. They want something more real. Nothing can wake you during a boring 8 a.m. lecture like a surprise steamy photo of your significant other on your iPhone!
I believe the sexting phenomenon became so popular, because people thought cell phones were more private than computers. It makes sense to suppose if you upload a photo to the Internet that photo can be copied millions of time before deciding whether to take it down. There is nothing that can be done to stop it. Once the picture is out on the Internet, it’s out there forever. A cell phone seems safer than a computer, since the phone is personalized to one individual. The recipient of the steaming picture certainly won’t do anything incriminating with that sexy picture, right? Wrong.
Life isn’t perfect. Couples and friends have fights and eventually part ways. Sometimes the breakups are nasty and involve a significant amount of backstabbing and treachery. If you were hurt by a boyfriend, girlfriend, or friend and wanted revenge, what would you do with the stripped pictures on your phone? For some of us, the answer is simple. Send them to everyone in the contact list and request everyone to send the picture to all their contacts. This revenge will not only reveal what’s under those clothes, but will also convert that modest person into a XXX model without them knowing.
Innocent sexting can be transformed from secret naughtiness to an embarrassing situation, as well as a form of blackmail. Finally when the issue began to involve those under the age of 18, the law decided to step in.
In 2008, an assistant principal at a Virginia high school was charged with child pornography. He had confiscated the cell phone of a male student who had a sexually explicit photo of a female student stored on it. The assistant principal then showed the picture to the principal, who told him to upload the photo as concrete evidence of the sexually explicit activity. When the police saw the photo the assistant principal was charged.
Some states have decided to tackle the issue of sexting within the court system. In April 2009, lawmakers in Vermont suggested a bill that would legalize the sharing of consensual graphic images between minors aged 13 to 18; the exchange of photos between a minor and a person of legal status would be deemed illegal.
Intuitively, 13 year olds are much less mature than 18 year olds. I feel this bill doesn’t deal with the issue properly, since most of the reported sexting is a problem within the high school system. They are putting a legal stamp, legitimizing the action that is causing the uproar. Other states, such as Utah and Ohio, have alternatively taken steps to lessen the blows of sexting on young people.
Cell phones and the Internet are not the problem; it’s the people in possession of the pictures. If you absolutely have to get your jollies by sending and receiving explicit text messages, don’t be surprised if more than one person has seen you naked. It’s a risk that cannot only leave you embarrassed, but also in a certain amount of legal trouble. So, when in doubt, don’t sext!
