Sexting

Abstract

The phenomenon known as "sexting" is the transmission of sexually explicit messages, most often images, via mobile phone or a similar electronic device. It is a conflation of the words "sex," which refers to the nature of the image transmitted, and "texting," which is a dominant means of mobile communication. Sexting is an activity particularly associated with young people in their teenage years, although many adults engage in this activity as well. Sexting has negative connotations, since it is often associated with peer pressure, especially on young women, to send explicit images of themselves to others. The resending of such images can also lead to invasion of privacy, harassment, cyberbullying, and emotional harm and, in cases where the images are of children, it constitutes child pornography. However, sexting can also be regarded as a form of sexual expression, and some claim that concern with the activity is part of a moral panic about the activities of youth.