Texting or Sexting – Do you Know What Your Kids are Doing?
Intercept SMS Text Messages
As texting from cellular phones has become a focus in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly alarmed about the role of mobile phones in the sexual lives of teenagers. A new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx) determined that 4% of cell phone owning young people ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to other people via text messaging. This practice is typically referred to “sexting” in the current vernacular. Additionally, 15% say they have received these kinds of images images of someone they actually know by way of text message.
According to research from market researchers The Nielsen Company (blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/under-aged-texting-usage-and-actual-cost/) American youths transmit an unbelievable average of 10 SMS messages every hour that they are not in school or sleeping – and most likely a lot during their classes too!
By studying over than 40,000 monthly US mobile phone bills, Nielsen concluded that American teenagers sent an average of an incredible 3,146 texts every month during Q3 2009.
SMS Text Monitoring
Their younger counterparts – tweenagers – from age 9 to 12 sent an average of 1,146 text messages every month. That that averages out to about four every hour they were in school or not sleeping. To put that in perspective, the average number of monthly texts sent by all cellular users combined was a little more than 500. In the fourth quarter 2009, tweenage users aged nine to twelve increased messaging usage by eight percent and almost doubled their text message volume.
Monitor SMS Text Messages
Pew Research points out that sexting occurs most often under one of three different scenarios: The first, exchanges of images solely 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 researchers a variety of reasons surrounding the motivation to participate in 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 starting or maintaining a relationship. Sensitive images are also passed along to other people “… for their entertainment value, as a joke, or for fun.”
Teens also shared with researchers the pressure they feel to share these types of images. Not surprisingly the report revealed that young people that are intensive users of mobile phones are more likely to to be sent sexually suggestive images. For these youths, the phone has become such a common means for communication and content of all kinds that turning it off is nearly unthinkable.
Perfect Storm Sexting meets Parental Control
The combination of 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 Teenager Text Messaging Market Will Continue to Expand
Despite the indications that per user usage has peaked (they can’t possibly use them more can they?!?) Nielsen predicts that overall text messaging 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 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 in all likelihood not surprised by the usage numbers. But chances are you’re also either in denial that your children are involved in sexting, or you’re actively seeking solutions to the problem. While parents may get angry that all the texts their teens and tweens are sending will land them in the poorhouse, Nielsen research shows 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 has more to do with how they use their phones, and when they are texting.
Parental Control Software for Mobile Phones
A practical technological solution available for parents and guardians to find out what what’s going on with their teenagers is spyphone software. An excellent source of information on spyphone software for Parental Control is SpyMobi Spy Phone.
SMS Monitoring Software
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In: Parental Control, Parental Control Software, SMS Intercept, SMS Spy
