So by now, most people have heard about “sexting,” right?  There have been news stories ranging from child pornography charges to a student, Jesse Logan, committing suicide after a picture she “sexted” her boyfriend was sent around her high school.

According to urbandictionary.com, teens don’t even call it “sexting.”  Apparently that particular term was coined by the media in response to a school principal finding explicit texts/pictures on his students’ phones.  There were dozens of definitions on urbandictionary.com ranging from sexting as a type of phone sex, to sending nude pictures, to putting out a “booty call” via text message.

One in five teens have used their cell phones or computers to send nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to someone, usually a girlfriend or boyfriend, and 40 percent of teen girls and boys have sent or posted sexually suggestive messages, according to a new study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com.

So, is sexting a problem?  Is it some evil thing that adults should attempt to stop?

Well, it’s definitely a problem if you’re caught with nude photos of your boyfriend or girlfriend and they’re under 18.  It’s also a problem if your picture is passed around the entire high school by an ex-boy or girlfriend looking for revenge.

But aside from these obvious issues associated with this risqué pastime, I have to ask another question:

When did sex become so public?

Sex, and anything associated with it, used to be kept inside the bedroom, between a husband and wife.  Private.  Special, you might even say.

Now, it’s anything-goes.  I don’t have to wonder why the divorce rate continues to stay as high as it does.  When people let something that was meant to be private and cherished between two spouses become something public and lewd, any sense of monogamy or honor is out the window.

And now that we’re raising teens to make sport of their sexuality, I believe that not only are we going to see another spike in the divorce rate, I believe we’re also going to see a dip in the marriage rate.

Why should a young adult get married if they’re used to spreading their sexuality around casually?  What’s going to be exciting and special about sex with a spouse, when they’ve basically doing it in their front lawn for years?

Ask a teen if they go next door and watch their neighbors having sex through the bedroom window.  You’re going to get hoots and howls, because why would anyone want to watch their neighbors having sex!!??

But what’s the difference if you go peeking through their windows, or if your friends and classmates are watching you via their cell phone or Facebook?

So, is sexting a problem?  Well, yes, but it’s really more of a symptom.  It’s a symptom of a culture’s sexuality gone awry.  People say we should be able to have sex with whomever we want, whenever we want.  But look what it’s gotten us….high divorce rates, high out-of-wedlock pregnancy rates, high teen pregnancy rates, high rates of STI’s.  Who suffers?  Everybody.

In past generations, the ability to delay gratification brought about the rise of a great nation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and responsible citizens.  What has happened to honor, fidelity, fortitude and privacy?

By Heather Bjur for Make a Sound Choice

Back in June 2008, I posted a blog on “SEXTING…” which the Urban Dictionary defines as: “The act of text messaging someone in the hopes of having a sexual encounter with them later; initially casual, transitioning into highly suggestive and even sexually explicit.”I linked it to the website www.netsmartz.org, which included articles of teens and nude cell phone photos.

The Sunday, August 31^st Fargo Forum entitled “Many teens sharing pornographic images,” is the reason I bring this topic to your attention again.  I rarely read the newspaper anymore, as like TV there is minuscule good information coming through these media sources.  This article concerns me GREATLY!  I don’t have children of my own, but I have a niece who is a freshman in High School and has her own cell phone.

This article is one in a vast array of “Teachable Moments” you can pass onto  your child during the car ride to school or the mall, don’t miss this opportunity to inform, protect, and chat with them!  We may live in the Midwest but the kids under our protection are not immune to the risks and dangers they place themselves in while they chit chat on-line or text when not supervised by a caring and concerned adult.  You have the authority to disconnect certain services on your child’s cell phone (the camera option is one of them as is the texting)!

- Lora M. (MSC Staff Member)