This report from Pew Internet (embedded below) has all sorts of interesting figures on how young adults use modern tools like social networking services, mobile phones, and the Internet, but one interesting bit uncovered by CrunchGear revealed that teens that buy their own phones are more likely to engage in “naughty” activity. John Biggs reported that, “The Pew Internet Project says that kids who buy their own phones are four times as likely to sext — that is send inappropriate images or texts to other kids.”
Ah, to be a teenager again…. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a big deal or a cause for alarm. It’s a perfectly natural combination of raging hormones and technology. I’ve actually never sent a sexual SMS or MMS. Have any of you?
Source via CrunchGear
if you live in china, this will get your ass thrown in jail or executed. Even if you are married.
one time I was able to convince a co-worker to send me a shot of her boobs, I'm about 70% sure she was 18 at the time.
In other related news "teenage males who have a penis tend to jack off more." I hate prude attitudes, I don't know at what point in my life I'll get the idea that if I don't talk about sex with my kids they just won't have it. If anything, being mature about it and understanding your kids is the best way for them to have someone to talk to. This is all of course in my humble opinion.
@Smartguy Someone better tell Stephon Marbury not to send any naughty messages.
haha
I don't think that is too surprising. When people are younger, sex is seen as a way to make one appear older or more mature. Of the teen is also paying for their own phone, they are more likely to be working, ie more responsible. This all translates to acting more mature and wanting to harvest the gains of being more mature, also using the explicit nature of the messages to reaffirm their maturity.
Analyzing things like this is what I do in anthropology. Lol.
Recently, I wanted to rip in to my girlfriend's brother-in-law when he voiced his "disgust" with the Zoo guide talking about animal sex to his small children. I don't understand the need to hide this stuff from kids.
It's interesting the correlation between parents who don't buy phones and who do. Perhaps if you do buy your kid's phone you are monitoring their use of it more closely. Perhaps the kids who buy their own phones tend to hide it from their parents.. who knows. A lot of those parents don't want to know what their kids are doing
@smartguy – I'm with you.
As a for instance, my girlfriend has two sets of nieces and nephews that are 1-6 years old. one set has stupid names for their private parts while the other set just responsibly refers to them as penis and vagina. (you can guess which family is crazy christian)
I just don't see the point in putting our heads in the sand, as you put it. I guarantee you the sheltered kids are going to experiment a lot more with sex than the ones who talk about it with their parents responsibly. Same goes for Booze and drugs, IMO
@ smartguy and shockwave
the American culture if avoidance (if I don't see it, it doesn't exist) is very widely known and studied on anthropology. It is amazing how much some people will imagine what they want to so that they do not have to deal with any "problems."
@Shockwave
Please do not label christians as crazy. Not with a blanket connotation. I grew up in a christian household and I wouldn't consider my family crazy. They understood that we will need to learn things as we grew older. Having a different name for something isn't the same as pretending that something doesn't exist. I personally don't want my 4 year old going around telling people about her vagina. That's my personal preference. Nothing wrong with the word, but perhaps my way of being polite. LIke how I wouldn't cuss in front of someone kids.
What I really don't like is when some parent thinks that something should be removed or changed to maintain the censorship of their child. Of course it would be too easy for them to just monitor what their child does instead of censor everyone.
@smartguy – I'm not saying every Christian is crazy, I'm just saying they are many in number. This family in particular is crazy Christian
@Smartguy – I think you have a big point with censorship – prime example is most parents would rather there be no such thing as an 'M' rated game because they can't be bothered to be involved in their kid's lives
@shockwave.
I grew up in a very strict household as well, and I was homeschooles until high school. That was the first real chance that I had to consistently get out of the house, and so I started being who I really wanted to be, but couldn't be in my own home. The downside is for my younger brother and sisters because my parents still blame the public school system instead of looking at the situation as a whole.
Of course they are going to.
1. Thats like 75% of what teenage guys think of.
2. Texting for four and a half years gets old, so they do the Ol' Emeril impression and BAM!
On the side note anyone younger than 18 can seriously get some one in some hot water. So to everyone please, stay away from the jail-bait.
@Smartguy There are a lot of messed up things in China that are alarming.
@ Smartguy and Shockwave
For not being parents yourselves, you sure seem to have it down pat.
By that same logic, I'm not a christian, so I'll tell them how to worship their deity the right way… see where this is going?
My head is not in the sand (by any means), but my 3 and 7 year old don't need to be going to school starting conversations like this. My 7 year old is almost ready (almost) but the time will come when the time will come. There's plenty of other things for them to discuss. You guys truly don't see the big picture and it's totally understandable why you wouldn't. What's not understandable, is why you think you would.
You guys have no idea how offended I get when people who don't have kids try to tell people how to raise theirs. Even assuming you know what you're talking about is highly arrogant. Hell, I get offended when people who DO have kids try to tell me how to raise mine.
Having nephews, nieces, younger siblings, etc. still alleviates you from the primal responsibility of being a parent. It's not relative. Been there, done that, learned the hard way. Issued apologies by the time my oldest was 6 months old for my own arrogance. I even apologized to my parents for things I did that in retrospect, I realized just worried the hell out of them.
I didn't mean to rant on you guys, I still love you and all… this is just one of my very few touchy subjects. It goes along side with the ratings and critic people. If your not a film maker, how are you going to judge other films. If you're not an artist of equal or greater caliber, judging someone else's art is like intentionally tearing at their soul on a very personal level. I believe it to be one of the vilest forms of accepted americana.
@N8R – Fine points, but I thought the article was about Sexting Teens, not Sexting 3-7 year olds. I mean if they are pulling in enough cash to purchase their own phone and engage in these activities, then more power to them, but I think you still have a few years before your son starts snapping photos of his junk. Maybe. They are growing up rather fast these days.
i hear "sexting" is now an epidemic amongst the elderly as well
@ Larcenous
I was mainly speaking on the tangent developed by Shockwave.
I feel there's a time and place and it's up to the parents to recognize the time and place for their kids. If I were his brother in law, I would have held back the animal sex pamphlet from my kids because it's MY responsibility, not the zoo's, or anyone else's (except their mom).
@n8r
as a parent myself, i understand where you are coming from…There are no blueprints on how to raise kids. If you raised your son one way and he turned out to be a perfect citizen, i could raise mine the same way and he might turn out totally different.
what i try to do is this…i make sure my daughter maintains her sense of humor, and i make sure she knows i love her more than anything….
i would never question how you raise your kids, because you dont seem abusive, and weve established that you arent a mormon. Im kidding there, but i do see religion as a form of a handicap :).
@topic
especially with girls here, if you show them that you love them, maybe they wont go looking for acceptance elsewhere….like yahoo messenger
@N8R
You must have misread the comments there bud. They point (at least mine) out that we do not like the parents who wish ALL offensive material be removed when they deem it offensive.
You are right, I don't have kids, but I do know that parents who hate everything offensive are just lazy. In no way did I admonish your techniques personally. Don't take it that way. Just don't tell me what should be removed because you don't want to monitor what your child(ren) are/is into.
I can judge a film eventhough I'm not a filmmaker. Not on the same level, but I can judge lol.
@ Smartguy
If I want something removed from my kids, I will either remove the thing in question from them, or remove them from it. In the case of the zoo, if enough parents removed their kids from it, it may be in their best interest to remove the questionable comment. Now the problem is capitalism and how it plays in to family values. It's a slippery slope.
I know from my experience that when I made a movie (as ridiculously horrible as it was), my opinions completely changed from what they were. I looked at all of them differently. That's what experience does. It changes perspective.
I see your point, and I agree. It's just that alot of/most professional movie critics have never made anything close to a film and I find their opinions lacking that perspective. Without it, all you have is "I personally was entertained" vs "I personally was NOT entertained". That's it. I feel it's ridiculously arrogant and self-centered to tell other people that they will inevitably feel the same way because you felt that way. You're also talking to a guy who liked Superman Returns and played through Superman 64 4 times because my childhood hero was Superman AND I'm talking to a guy who stated he wished to purchase Big Rigs Racing because he found entertaining qualities in the crap factor… perspective.
For the record… I LOVE me some offensive material, loathe censorship, and still have the shirt I got when I pre-ordered Superman 64.
@N8R
In my opinion you are being a good parent. You are being responsible for what they see and hear. You and I do not have a problem.
Superman 64 shirt…now that is offensive!
I like all of my content uncensored as well.
@ Smartguy
I still wear it too. It's old and faded, but it says "the new game by Titus" on the back.
I love that thing almost as much as the Gwar shirt I have that's autographed and made it through 2 shows (up in front of the crowd) without being washed. It was white, but now it's mostly red with spots of various other colors… I never wear it, it hangs on my wall.
@ Thundercracker
HELL YES all parents make mistakes. It's only human.
@Shockwave
Parents who put their head in the sand or want everything censored are what causes a lot of problems in children.
@Ray
Could you imagine personal communications being monitored all the time like that? Amazing that the population of china is put under a microscope like that.
@bsukenyan
You said it man, I think I know firsthand because I grew up in a very Mormon family, sheltered life just cries for rebellion. Now I wouldn’t call myself a rebel anymore but having a live-in girlfriend my parents would disagree. You can bet that when I got to high school I was very interested in getting in to things like Sex, Drugs (well, if weed counts), Alcohol and the like. Worst part is I felt like I did those things irresponsibly because I couldn’t go to my parents for advice. go figure.
EVERY parent makes mistakes, except apparently for stacey keebler’s, cause shes god damn perfect in my book… (the necronomicon, if you are wondering)