Sexting – Do Parents Even Know About This?

Texting or Sexting – Do you Know What Your Kids are Doing?

Intercept SMS Text Messages

As texting from cellular phones has become an attraction in youth social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly anxious about the role of mobile phones in the sexual lives of youths. A new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) determined that four percent of mobile phone using teens ages 12-17 indicate they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else using SMS text messages. This activity is commonly known as “sexting” in today’s slang. Additionally, fifteen percent say they have received such images of someone they already know by way of text message.

According to a study from marketing research firm The Nielsen Company (blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/under-aged-texting-usage-and-actual-cost/) American teenagers transmit an inconceivable average of 10 SMS text messages per hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and probably a lot during their classes too!

By evaluating over than forty thousand monthly US mobile phone bills, Nielsen found that American teens sent an average of an inconceivable 3,146 text messages every month during the third quarter 2009.

SMS Text Monitoring

Their younger counterparts – tweenagers – ages 9-12 years old sent about 1,100 text messages each month. That equates to four every hour they were in school or not sleeping. In comparison, the average number of monthly texts sent by all cell phone users collectively was just slightly above 500. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users from age 9 to 12 increased SMS usage by 8% and almost doubled their text message volume.

Monitor SMS Text Messages

Focus group findings show that sending provocative images occurs usually during one of three typical scenarios: The first, exchanges of images solely between two romantic partners; the next, lists exchanges between partners that are then shared outside the relationship; followed by, exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where often one person hopes to be.

Teens were interviewed and gave Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report a variety of explanations behind the motivation to get involved with sexting. These included the researcher’s interpretation that “…sexually suggestive images had become a form of relationship currency,”; that sexting images “… are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity,” and that SMS text message sexting is a way of establishing a relationship. Sensitive images are also passed along to other people “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”

Teenagers also shared with researchers the peer pressure to share sexual images. Not surprisingly the report also reveals that teens who are more intense users of cell phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images. For these young people, the phone has become such a common means for communication and content of all kinds that doing without it is nearly unthinkable.

Perfect Storm Sexting meets Parental Control

The desire for risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teen years mixed with constant connection using mobile phones and other mobile devices “…creates a ‘perfect storm’ for sexting,” said Pew’s Amanda Lenhart. “Teenagers have always grappled with issues around sex and relationships, but their coming-of-age mistakes and transgressions have never been so easily transmitted and archived for others to see.”

The Teen Text Messaging Market Will Grow

Despite some indications that per user usage has peaked (they can’t possibly use them more can they?!?) Nielsen forecasts that overall text messaging usage will increase as the heavy text messaging population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to keep in contact with them. Current SMS users are expected to continue to use texting extensively and as tweenagers age they will increase usage. The average number of text messages per user has increased every year, and there is room for growth.

Mobile SMS Tracking Software

If you’ve got teens then you’re probably not shocked by the usage statistics. In all probability most parents don’t believe their kids are involved with sexting, or they are looking for ways to find out. While parents may fume that all the texts their teens and tweens are sending will land them in the poorhouse, Nielsen research indicates the average cost of a single text message is only about one penny. The real issue concerning parents is not so much how often teens use their phones but has more to do with how they use their phones, and when they are using them.

Parental Control Software for Smart Phones

A workable technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what their teens are doing is mobile monitoring technology. An excellent source of information on spyphone software for Parental Control is SpyMobi Spy Phone.

SMS Monitoring Software

The significance of spy phone software, and the need for it is demonstrated by the millions of searches on Google, Yahoo and Bing taking place every month. People often use these keywords for finding “How To” information on spy phone technology to read SMS text messages, Call Logs and GPS Location include:

How Can I Trace a Cell Phone,   How Can I Tap Into a Cell Phone,   How To Monitor Text Messaging,   How Long Does It Take To Trace a Cell Phone,   How To Trace a Cell Phone For Free,   How To Get text message Records,   How To Intercept Someones text messages,   How To Intercept a Phone Call,   How To Intercept SMS messages,   How To Trace Someones Cell Phone,   How To Bug a Mobile,   How To Trace Cell Phone Location,  and How To Bug a Cell Phone.

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