Teenagers and “sexting”

By Rosanna Mazzitelli

@rosanna94359828

The stage of adolescence physiologically brings with it curiosity and the drive towards sexuality, both in terms of simple curiosity and through the desire to experience it practically. From various studies it emerges that the age in which boys come into contact with sexual content is getting lower and lower and already in preadolescence we find boys who in an often unconscious and immature way approach sexual content, even going so far as to practice sex, in a moment of life in which there is still no psychological maturity to understand its value. In this context, we can well understand how the hyper-connection in which young people find themselves living and therefore the continuous contact with people, known or unknown, who may be a few or many kilometers away, has also favored sexuality find space in the virtual world.

Specifically, we talk about sexiting, a word born from the union of sex and texiting (writing) and can be defined as the act of sending and / or receiving sexual content (messages, photos and videos) via chat, email, etc.

In the 2017 EU Kids Online report, we read that a comparison with the data of 2010 and 2013 shows a growth in sexting in 2017, especially among adolescents aged 15-17 (from 6% in 2010 to 9% in 2013 , to 12% in 2017) and males (from 5% in 2010 to 7% in 2013 to 12% in 2017).

Sexting in minors can be experienced as a demonstration of love and trust towards one’s partner, as fun or as a way to feel great both in the eyes of others and in front of oneself. The increase in sexiting, among other things, seems to be favored by the fact that boys can experience their sexuality with familiar tools, putting themselves on the line with less shame and probably with reduced performance anxiety that accompanies early sexual experiences and is therefore to be considered as a way of experiencing intimacy and sexuality with one’s peers, of attracting the attention of peers, of seducing the partner.

However, it is very important that children are educated by their parents or in any case by adult reference figures, with respect to the risks associated with the use of sexiting. Often children act without taking into account the effects and consequences of their actions. However, this becomes very risky on several levels, if for example you upload nude images on the web which at that point become difficult to manage.

We no longer speak of sexting but of “revenge porn” when the images are used, for example, by a former partner for vengeful purposes and with the aim of damaging the reputation of the person portrayed, or of “sextortion” and cyberbullying when one presents the threat of diffusion of the photo / video material, always with the aim of damaging the reputation of the person portrayed. According to our legal system, the material exchanged in the form of sexting is declined as child pornography, when it loses control, even naively.

It is very important to educate boys and girls to be aware and critical when sending sexual content, taking into account what that “SEND” may entail in their lives. Often in a naive way you send photos or videos, a little for fun, and sometimes just to show your love to your partner and it seems to escape the concept that once the message is sent there is no turning back. It is not uncommon for cases in which there are doubts and fear regarding the possibility of finding one’s photos and videos online in the future and there are also cases in which after many years the consequences, even dramatic, of an action are paid of sexiting done with naivety.

According to a survey conducted on 352 US university students, the feeling of remorse for having sent sexual content occurs immediately after pressing the submit button: 10% of the sample examined admit, in fact, having second thoughts or feeling remorse after having sent explicit content to someone and the reasons are varied. In some cases, the fear is that of retaliation by an ex partner after a breakup of an engagement or divorce.

If an adult realizes that a minor is involved in sexiting it is important to ascertain whether this involvement is voluntary or not and whether both subjects are minors or if there may be a risk of online grooming by adults. It is often difficult for a parent to be able to realize this phenomenon, which is why the winning tool is that of a healthy sexual education that allows their children to make informed and safe choices. On the part of the adult, open dialogue and not making judgments are essential, making children aware of the nature of the platforms used and emphasizing the value of their own privacy and that of others. Due to their age characteristics, children always tend to experiment with new and often risky things, and the protection that an adult can provide is that of a distant accompaniment that, however, makes the children feel cared for and protected. This also and above all with regard to the sexual sphere..