Sexting is all about sending or receiving sexual messages or images through digital devices. In the past few years, it has become more common among teenagers. This can be a concerning issue for parents who want to ensure their children’s safety and well-being. If you also sensed that your teenager might be involved in this action, there’s nothing to be worried about. Learning the essence of teen sexting, why teens might engage in it, and how to recognize the signs can help you address this sensitive topic with care and confidence.
In this blog, we will explore the signs that your teen might be sexting and provide practical advice on how to start the conversation with them. So, let’s start with the signs you need to watch out for.
What Are the Signs of Sexting in Teens?
When your teenager sends sexual pictures and messages to others, there are a few signs you can look for. Recognizing these signs can help you identify if your teen is involved in this harmful action and prevent it early on.
Secretive Behavior with Devices
If your teen is used to sexting, they may become very protective of their phones or computers. They might quickly close screens, hide their devices when you walk into the room, or spend an unusual amount of time on their devices in private. To find out which app they may be using for sexual chats, learn about the risky sexting apps that are nowadays common to use. This way, you can know they’re sexting, when noticing one of the apps on their phones.
Frequent Deletion of Messages
If your teen regularly deletes text messages, photos, or social media conversations, it could be a sign they are hiding something. While some deletion is normal, doing it constantly may indicate sexting. To make sure they’re involved or not, you can use some simple ways to recover deleted messages on your child’s phone.
Receiving Gifts or Money
Here’s the fact: online predators promise gifts and money to teenagers and other vulnerable people to make them do different things. Therefore, if your teen suddenly has new items or extra cash without a clear explanation, it could be a sign that they are being groomed. They may be inappropriately rewarded for sending pictures, messages, and other risky behaviors online.
Unexplained Data Usage
Sexting is addictive, meaning that teens get tempted to do it more often, especially if they get rewarded. So, an increase in data usage on your teen’s phone could suggest they may be sending or receiving large files, such as photos or videos. Keep an eye on phone bills or data reports for any unusual spikes.
Inappropriate Content Discovery
Here’s another fact parents should know: teens are likely to watch porn, as they’re discovering more about relationships and their bodies. So, it’s likely to find inappropriate content on their phones that is not necessarily for sexting pictures. However, some photos and videos (like the ones taken in bed or with regular phone cameras) are signs of sexting. Make sure to regularly check the content on their devices, ensuring to do so respectfully and without breaching trust entirely.
Defensiveness About Privacy
While it’s normal for teens to want some privacy, extreme reactions can be a sign. Teenagers involved in sexting might become overly defensive about their right to privacy when asked about their online activity. For example, they may want you to leave the room and close the door when using their phones.
What Are the Ways to Know If Your Teen Is Sexting?
Using some specific tools, parents can gain insights into their teen’s online behavior and find out potential signs of sexting. Here are the tools you can use and monitor your teen’s risky online behaviors.
- Parental Control Apps: Parental control apps are designed to help parents monitor and manage their child’s online activities. These apps provide lots of different features to ensure the safe and appropriate use of digital devices. These apps can track your teen’s usage of social media, messaging apps, and internet browsing.
- Spyware Apps: These apps are more invasive tools that allow detailed tracking of all activities on a device. They are often used to monitor text messages, emails, call logs, and even the physical location of the device. Spyware can capture and log all text messages and emails sent and received, allowing parents to see if their teen is sending or receiving explicit content. This way, parents can see who their teen is calling or texting, which can help identify potentially risky interactions.
- Checking History Through Router: Parents can also check browsing history on wifi router. Using routers, they can track and log all internet activity on devices connected to the home network. This includes websites visited, duration of visits, and sometimes even the content. Routers can log the websites visited by any connected device, helping parents see if their teen is visiting inappropriate sites.
- Built-In Parental Controls on Devices: Many digital devices come with built-in parental controls that allow parents to manage what their teens can do and see online. Using these options, parents can set time limits for how long teens can use certain apps or be on their devices. They can also block access to explicit content, certain websites, and inappropriate apps.
While spyware apps offer more detailed tracking, they’re invasive and can intrude on your teenager’s privacy. On the other hand, pre-built parental control settings on devices don’t always come in handy, as they don’t contain all the necessary features. Instead, parental control apps provide more comprehensive features to check your teen’s online activities. It’s like having all the options needed in only one app.
What Are the Impacts of Sexting on Teenagers?
Based on an article in 2019, sexting is more harmful for girls than for boys. The article also claims that both boys and girls engage in sexting to gain popularity and peer acceptance. While this motivation is similar for both genders, the outcomes differ. Boys often gain social capital and acceptance, while girls may face insults, rejection, and damage to their reputation, reflecting a sexual double standard.
Another research suggests that sexting is linked to mental health issues like depression and anxiety in adolescents. They are always exposed to the risk of being online predator’s victims and be forced to do what they don’t want to. On the other hand, older teens who engage in consensual sexting without pressure don’t show the same negative mental health impacts.
How to Stop Your Teen from Sexting?
Your teenager now is at the most sensitive age, full of ups and downs. Therefore, it’s normal for them not to recognize the harms and risky behaviors. So, you, as a parent should take action and prevent sexting to protect your teens. First, try opening the conversation with them to talk about the action itself and the risks. It’s highly important to create a safe space for them to feel comfortable and share their thoughts or experiences. Educate them on the legal, emotional, and social consequences of teens sending nudes, emphasizing how easily shared images can lead to embarrassment, bullying, or legal issues. If you’re concerned that your teen might be engaging in risky behavior or struggling with emotional issues, consider seeking the help of a counselor or therapist.
In addition, you can use parental controls and monitoring apps to oversee their online activity, while respecting their privacy. Safes, our parental control app, helps you track your teen’s activities on online platforms to protect them from potential dangers. Similar to iPhone parental controls, Safes provides practical tools to help you set screen time limits, block contacts, and websites, uninstall apps, and apply other necessary protective measures. Safes helps you to be proactive in guiding your teen toward responsible digital behavior.
Final Word
Raising a teen in the digital age can be challenging, especially when it comes to issues of the online world, like sexting. However, you can manage to protect and educate them by providing a safe comforting place for them to talk and share their inner thoughts. However, despite our best efforts, it’s not always possible to monitor every aspect of their digital lives. So, it pays off to educate yourself and raise your sexting awareness. Moreover, you can always seek help from a therapist if necessary.
You can download Safes for Android and iOS today and get started by using our free trial. Then, you can experience peace of mind knowing you have an extra layer of security for your child’s online presence.
