Posts Tagged ‘Sexting’

Every student I have ever spent serious time with eventually complains, “There is nothing to do around here.”

I’ve been around the block a few times so let me tell you: There’s always nothing to do around here. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the middle of a city, suburbia, or corn fields.  Boredom is part of student life.

Now this sexting trend is running rampant and they’re telling us that 20% of teens have done it.

Why is sexting even an issue? I think it’s the same reason students get so bored.

Forgive my broad generalizations and help me get to the point here. When their kids are young, most parents put a lot of energy into keeping them happy. We want to protect them from the hardships of life and let them enjoy their childhood.

By the time the time they are teenagers, and sometimes not even until college or after college, most students have had very little (real-life) responsibility. For many, their basic needs are taken care of and a majority of their time is spent finding entertainment and having a good time.

This me-centric period of life leaves students wanting. That’s why they can be surrounded by movie theaters and coffee houses and still be convinced that there is nothing to do while grandparents rant about this ungrateful generation. When such a great majority of your life is consumed with making yourself happy, you soon find that selfish pleasure can only take you so far.

Unfortunately, the barrage of media and culture only enforces these misconceptions and keeps students from digging deep to discover what’s really going on. All they hear, and consequently all they think, is “do this, buy that, experience this, and you will be popular and happy… tomorrow.”

This very simplistic view of adolescent life uncovers part of the root of so many issues students deal with, from sexting to drinking to drugs to sheer boredom. It’s all part of the relentless drive for fulfillment that students constantly believe is right around the corner.

Youth ministry often strives to pull students out of the snares of sin by telling, teaching, loving, discipling and encouraging, “don’t sin.”  But for some youth, that leaves a huge void: So what else should I do with all this time and energy on my hands?

Do Hard Things has some great suggestions for this. I like their approach and what it means for the broader efforts of youth ministry.

Students are passionate and ready to give themselves to a purpose. Is your youth group giving them something to live for, both in theory and in practice?

With recent studies like this one that found 20% of teens have posted or sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves, it’s obvious that sexting is no longer just a fringe occurance.

For those that haven’t heard, sexting is the new term for personal cell phone pornography. Several court cases illustrate how more and more teens are sending nude pictures of themselves to a their boyfriend or girlfriend, only to find that their image has spread like wildfire all over their school and town. Many of them find themselves facing jail time on pornography charges.

Considering how prevelant it is, many teens must still consider this as acceptable behavior. Either the potentially severe consequences, such as criminal charges and extreme embarrasment, are not enough to keep them from doing it, or they just don’t know the consequences!

As one youth pastor reports, this problem is already leaking into youth group meetings, so it’s one we can’t ignore much longer. The study I mentioned earlier has some great tips on how to address it along with videos of teens discussing the issue.

For discussion: Has this issue sexting impacted your group? How did you respond? Have you had a frank discussion with your students about sexting?