With social media hype, your kids are no longer safe on the internet. More and more children engage in sexting and inappropriate online interactions. Unsupervised social media use can expose them to potentially harmful content like social media sexting. If your child has a private phone, then there are good chances they are already into it.
Kids usually do this out of curiosity to explore their sexual identity without knowing the risk. Also, some kids believe it’s a fun activity to exchange explicit texts and images with others. The term sexting explains such behavior.
Adequate social media literacy can help them to be a responsible and safe digital user.
Worried about your child’s online safety? This activity elaborates on the potential dangers of social media sexting for kids, how sex offenders trap children, and what you can do to protect them.
Let’s delve into it!
Dangers of Social Media Sexting
A large number of young people do sexting due to some pressure or seek validation from their friends or strangers. Following are some possible dreadful outcomes of this dangerous activity.
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Lost Control of Content
Once a kid shares an explicit image, text, or video, the content is out of control, the receiver can save it and use it anywhere they like. The child may face a ruined academic reputation if the content goes viral. Moreover, their friends may dislike and avoid them.
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Online Harassment and Blackmailing
Online predators can deceive children until they feel relaxed and send or receive nude content. The blackmailing starts here, and the affected child gets caught in a sexting cycle. Also, they become victims of cyberbullying, threats, body shaming, and injuries.
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Anxiety and Depression
Sending sexts can destroy your child’s mental health leading to anxiety and depression. Receiving sexts from others can get them into psychological and emotional distress. They may suffer from low self-esteem and shamefulness if they are sexting under coercion.
Tips for Protecting Your Kids from Social Media Sexting
Monitoring teens’ social media use and the content they come across is critically important. Here are some useful tips to protect your kids from social media dangers, especially sexting.
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Limit Their Smartphone Use
Create reasonable guidelines for gadget use and discuss these rules thoroughly with your kid. Make sure that they tell you everything about smartphone use and won’t hide anything unusual. Also, communicate the penalties and tell them if they violate the rules they will have to face the consequences.
Limit their cell phone use to specific daytime hours and take it away at night to avoid sending, receiving sexts . It’s good to keep all screens away from the bedroom as they can disturb their sleep patterns, leading to sexting.
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Educate Them About Sex Before Anyone Else
Usually, kids feel curious about sex during puberty, and this leads to teens sexting. The curiosity regarding intimacy increases if teens don’t receive proper sexual education. They start sexting with friends and strangers to explore sexuality and believe it’s the right way.
Be the first one who educates them about sex before they know it from anyone else. Keep providing age-appropriate guidance related to sex as your child matures. Ensure they get an appropriate concept and stay vigilant while using electronic gadgets.
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Talk to Kids and Support Them
If you find something suspicious, talk to your child before the situation worsens. Involve them in a trustworthy and friendly manner so they don’t feel uncomfortable revealing the problem. Remain calm and carefully listen to their part of the story.
After understanding the underlying reasons, such as blackmailing or peer pressure, show love and support your child to overcome the situation.
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Warn Them About the Dangers of Sexting
Kids are usually unaware of the dangerous consequences of sending sexually explicit messages via social media sexting. Being a parent, you are your child’s most reliable source of information. Explain the results of sexting by giving examples of situations they may encounter.
Don’t forget to warn them about the legal implications of sexting. It can alter their view, and they may begin to behave and think responsibly. Your kid must be aware of potential consequences, severity, and regulations about sexting.
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Use Parental Controls to Monitor Their Online Activity
Various parental control apps can help you monitor your kid’s smartphone and digital activities. Simply install suitable software on your kid’s phone without them knowing and get updates on your phone. You can limit their screen time, social media use, instant messaging, and more.
The apps can scan text messages and issue a safety alert notification. Also, they can scan saved pictures or videos on kids’ phones. You will get a notification whenever they send and receive explicit content.
To Wrap Up
Social media sexting might be a part of children’s daily life. Most parents are unaware of the tech-trends and how they may affect the life of an innocent child. That’s why it is important to be vigilant and teach digital literacy to your children. You can try different ways to prevent your child from getting into things they will regret later but you can’t refrain your child from using a smartphone. Talk about sexting and tell your children if they receive sexually explicit images, they need to immediately take appropriate action.
Thankfully, parental control apps allow you to track their online activities on cell phones and social media apps. By staying aware, you can save your kid from the potential dangers of social media sexting and teach them the importance of healthy relationships.
