With the prevalence of mobile phones and smart phones with high tech features around, sexting is spreading at a concerning rate, which is creating a great havoc and is indeed a perilous thing capable of ruining your child’s entire life and career.
In a survey, it was found that one in every 3 American teenagers has sent or received sexts (that involved both sexually explicit pictures and similar text messages through cell phones).
Parents have an important role to play in preventing their teenage kids (who are most involved in such cases) from sexting, a serious felony in the eyes of law, which can end up taking your kids to prison and if they are innocent victims they may even end up committing suicide.
Here are some important parenting tips to help you stop teen sexting and save your kids and their friends from being marked as serious sex offenders for distributing child pornography.
Discuss with your Child: Build Mutual Trust
Discussing things often prove helpful in averting serious troubles. But remember that taking an accusatory stance or getting too strict or rude will only complicate the situation. So, you got to deal with it smartly, taking up a most friendly approach, building up mutual trust between your kids and you. Like you can pick up any recent news stories about sexting and discuss it in a natural way involving your kids in the discussion.
Tell your Child: It is Illegal
If your child knows that the action is illegal and most jurisdictions consider it as a serious crime, it will lessen the chances of your child’s involvement in it; even if it doesn’t totally end up such chances. Make your child understand that it is a serious crime and those who are found involved in it are charged as felony just like a child molester or a rapist.
Explain the other Consequences
Explain your kids that they can be rusticated from school if a sext is found on their cell phone. Tell your child that if any class mate or friend with destructive ideas gets hold of a cell phone with such pictures, they can ruin your child’s reputation forever.
Don’t give too much Liberty
It is found that teens who pay their cell phone bills themselves are generally more involved in sexting. Make sure you have the entire authority to your child’s cell phone and the bills are also paid by you. When you pay the bills you have the right to check your child’s phone, put restriction to undesirable services like MMS, and even tell your child that one wrong-doing will make you take the cell phone back.
Use Parental Control Software
Installing parental control on your child’s phone is indeed the safest possible way to restrict your child from sexting. These programs help you get the total remote control of your child’s mobile phone. You get the complete details of each of the cell phone activities in which your child gets involved. And you even get to put restrictions on your child’s phone usage including test messaging, internet usage, and calls which proves really helpful in stopping your child from getting involved in unwanted activities like sexting.
