One Third of Teens Admit To Sexting, Half Victims of Digital Abuse
According to an MTV/AP sponsored poll, America's teens are using modern technology to engage in the oldest pastime: sex.
Sexting, defined as sharing explicitly sexual material, ie, photos, lurid text, chats or videos is more common within the teen community than most of us realized. Also tracked in the poll were findings that young people between the ages of 14-24 also experience digital abuse at the rate of 50%. The survey was conducted as part of an MTV multi-year initiative called, The Thin Line, which hopes to stop the spread of digital abuse.
As technology spreads, so do the issues, and often you see it manifest itself within the most vulnerable demographic: kids. MTV, which caters to this same demographic is partnering with a wide spectrum of groups and social media sites to combat this growing problem including Facebook, MySpace, The Family Violence Prevention Fund, WiredSafety, Anti-Defamation League, Blue Shield of California Foundation, loveisrespect.org, The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, National Network to End Domestic Violence, The Liz Claiborne Inc., DoSomething.org, Break the Cycle, Ruder Finn, Teenangels and PBS' FRONTLINE.
It's heartening to see these groups working together to combat violence and dangerous behavior. Bullying and sexual harassment have been around forever, but with today's technology, the opportunities are almost limitless for individuals to prey on others. Growing up is hard enough, when you add the stress of bullying in whatever form is takes, it can be almost unbearable for some teens and young adults.
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