And I’m sure the real numbers are a lot higher than those who self-reported for this survey. I read about it this morning in the Telegraph UK, but there’s also a piece up on Ars Technica by one of my favorite writers there (Jacqui Cheng) explaining what we already knew: almost a quarter of kids between 13-19 think online sex is “no big deal”. I had dinner last night with a young girl who grew up online — fucking herself online throughout high school with total strangers. She told me, “I’d be waiting for the school bus worried that people could smell the Vaseline on me from fucking myself with some stranger online before getting ready for school.” My friend was totally fine with it, and no one coerced her — she actively sought out the experiences, and described to me how she went about it. Think about it.
Thanks to the two sweethearts who just sent me the Ars piece. Snip:
What good would technology be if people weren’t constantly using it to send naked pictures of themselves to each other? I would know, too—since the age of 12, my inbox has been filled with inappropriate photos of people whether I wanted to see them or not (in fact, there might be some in there right now). Like most tech trends, however, the oft-inadvisable act of sending nude photos to people on the Internet is being adopted en masse by young Internet users, with fairly large numbers of teenagers posting them online or—even worse—sending them to people they don’t even know.
A survey of 1,280 teenagers (users age 13-19) and young adults (age 20-26) conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com has revealed that one out of five (20 percent) teens overall have posted nude photos or video of themselves on the Internet—that number goes up to a third when young adults are included. While 71 percent of teen girls and 67 percent of teen guys who have sent these photos say they’ve sent them to a boyfriend or girlfriend, 15 percent overall said they’ve sent nude photos to people they only “knew” online. For women, that percentage stays the same when they turn into young adults, although the percentage of young adult men goes up to 23 percent. (…read more, arstechnica.com)
Here’s the bad news. Any minor who sends or posts XXX content of herself or himself on line is in violation of various kiddie-pr0n laws, both State and Federal, and prosecutors WILL prosecute on these given the opportunity.
Young people who do this should learn how to use PGP/GPG (and crypto mode in IM clients)… and quickly. We are unlikely to get rational law in this area this century, better to make what’s on the books unenforceable.
When someone gets their panties in a bunch about the latest sex story in the news, I remind them that we’ve been fucking for a long, long time. Since the dawn of man. Srsly.
In the 50s, kids played “Doctor” to see one another’s naughty bits, but that’s because there was no internet. Being horny back then meant you had to be bold and devise some sort of innocent scheme to have a peek.
The possible downside of lingering photos of your nudity is a definite problem, but only for now. In time, maybe we won’t be so puritanical and it won’t be such a big deal. Think about it: you probably look your best as a teen, anyway.
As a pretty tech literate (I teach other people how to use these tools) parent of 4 kids, one of whom is in high school, I have one question…
Where are these places??? I remember being a younger man and the wife and I enjoyed our share of “grown-up” chat rooms but I thought those were long gone. Adults need to learn about all the tricks that our kids are sharing with one another. I know they share at a lightning pace, as soon as something new comes along they all know about it – far faster than we could keep up. But your story is so interesting, and scary. Thank God this young lady never lost her way and went looking for something a bit more personal. I used to teach my students about all the stories I could find – young people ending up in basements or ditches somewhere, all after going to find something that was missing at home.
I was having cybersex within months of getting my first modem in early 1993 (freshman year of high school). Years before I actually had sex with anyone in real life..
I particularly remember doing so in a MUD called Federation, which was on the GEnie online service. (Yeah, this was before internet access was common… I’m feeling old now.) There was a particular secret room which one player in the game could occupy at a time from which the player spy on any other player and see whatever they were seeing, including any private messages they might be receiving.. that was fun. :-)