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 mobile phones has become a focus in youth social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly concerned about the role of cellular phones in the sexual lives of youths. A fresh research study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) found that four percent of cell-owning teenagers between age 12 and 17 say they have transmitted sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to other people using SMS text messages. This activity is commonly referred to “sexting” in the current vernacular. Additionally, 15% say they have received these kinds of images 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 youths send an unimaginable average of ten text messages every hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and most likely a lot during school too!

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

SMS Text Monitoring

Their younger counterparts – tweenagers – from age 9 to 12 sent about 1,100 texts every month. That that averages out to about four per hour they were in school or not sleeping. In comparison, the average number of monthly texts sent by all mobile users combined was just slightly above five hundred. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users from age 9 to 12 increased text usage by 8% and almost doubled their text message volume.

Monitor SMS Text Messages

Focus group findings show that sending provocative images occurs usually under one of three typical scenarios: The first, exchanges of images just between two romantic partners; the next, lists exchanges between partners that are then shared with other people; followed by, exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but with one person hoping there will be one.

Teens were interviewed and gave Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report a variety of explanations surrounding 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.”

Teens also described to researchers the peer pressure to share these types of pictures. Not surprisingly the report also reveals that teens who are more intense users of cellular phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images. For these teens, the phone has become such a common means for communication and a variety of content that turning it off is unlikely.

Perfect Storm Sexting meets Parental Control

The desire for risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teen years mixed with regular 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 Market Will Continue to Grow

Despite some indications that per user usage has peaked (they can’t possibly use them more can they?!?) Nielsen estimates that overall SMS usage will increase as the avid user population ages and entices the older generations to text with them in order to stay in contact with them. Current SMS users are expected to continue to use texting extensively and as tweenagers age they will increase usage. The number of text messages sent per capita has grown every year and should continue.

Mobile SMS Tracking Software

If you’ve got teens then you’re probably not surprised by the usage numbers. In all probability most parents don’t believe their teenagers 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 just one cent. The real issue affecting families is not so much how often teens use their phones but more about how they use their phones, and when they are texting.

Parental Control Software for Mobile Phones

A workable technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what what’s going on with their kids is spyphone software. An excellent source of information on spyphone software for Parental Control is SpyMobi Spy Phone.

SMS Monitoring Software

The sheer scale 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. Common search terms for finding “How To” information on spy phone software to read SMS text messages, Call Logs and GPS Location include:

How To Monitor text messages,   How Do I Trace a Cell Phone Number,   How To Monitor text messages,   How To Listen Phone Call,   How To Trace a Cell Phone For Free,   How To Intercept text messages,   How To Hack Cell Phone text messages,   How To Track a BlackBerry Phone,   How To Trace Cell Phone Number,   How To Trace The Location Of a Cell Phone,   How To Bug a Mobile,   How To Bug a Mobile Phone,  and How To Eavesdrop On Cell Phone.