The tap of just one button is causing many teenagers a lifetime of embarrassment and consequences. As social media continues to grow, teens are sending more explicit photos amongst each other.
According to NoBullying, about 15 percent of teens who have sexted a sexually explicit photo or semi-explicit photo of themselves sent them to people who they have never met. Although teens have seen the negative effects of sending sexually explicit photos, they still tend to continue to do so.
Northwood’s school resource officer, Ray Barrios, has had 10 years of experience in the school system involving these kind of cases.
“Once [explicit pictures] are out there, they are out there” Barrios said. You can’t get them back, and everyone can get them all over the world. They never go away once they are out on the internet.”
In the past, Northwood has had several cases of students posting sexually explicit pictures online, and once the school is notified of pictures on social media, staff usually becomes involved.
According to Barrios, if convicted of possession or the sending of sexually explicit photos, it can result in felony charges against individuals.
Students can find it hard to go to staff members if they are being threatened with nudes becoming leaked. Barrios has had students notify him of their explicit pictures being leaked on social media.
“It was brought to my attention that some [students] had [explicit photos],” Barrios said. “Twice the individuals admitted to sending them, and now they are being blackmailed, so they approached me asking how could I help.”
Senior Hannah Bynum has noticed that even though teens know the risks of sending sexually explicit photos, they can feel pressured into still sending due to the more casual approach of provocative images on social media.
“The more social media you see, the more you want to get more likes, and to get more likes, you have to show more skin,” Bynum said. “It is so simple and easy to ask for one and for someone to feel pressured into sending it.”
Sexually explicit pictures can easily be sent over the common app, Snapchat. Snapchat allows any sent picture to only be seen for 10 seconds or less. With Snapchat, there are certain ways of getting around the limit of not being able to save sent pictures. Currently there are apps, such as Snapsave and Sneakboo, that have been created to allow others to save or screenshot a snap.
Junior Cameron Council believes that social media causes students to regard sending explicit pictures as casual.
“I think people are more used to having their phones and being able to do it, so as they get more used to it,” Council said. “They see it as a normal thing. It desensitizes most people to that kind of thing, and as it happens more, they don’t think about it.”
A friend of Council’s had sexually explicit photos of them become exposed, allowing Council to see first hand how an individual’s reputation can become damaged.
“It caused their image to go down a lot and people think less of them because of it,” Council said. “It happens a lot more than you would think. The negative effects of sending nudes can go a long way.”
There is a tremendous importance in tapping just one button due to the amount of weight that it can carry along with it. Teens can feel the pressure to send sexually explicit photos from social media and others. Every sexually explicit photo that is sent can never be guaranteed to be 100 percent safe.
– By Mary Frances Scholle