Rethink That Nude
Gender inequality is visible in many areas of our lives but it is often overlooked when it comes to teen sexting. Sexting is a combination of sex and texting; spread digitally through the internet and other technologies (Ringrose, Harvey, Gill, & Livingstone, 2013). Teen sexting is a dangerous act that can result in the sexualization of children, attract online predators, result in sexual harassment, and other life-altering incidents. Unfortunately, women are rarely seen as victims when such exploitation occurs. Young women are deemed responsible for their actions and the reason why they choose to sext is often ignored.
Ringrose et al., (2013) emphasize how age-inappropriate sexting carries risks, including young women’s bodies being valued as commodities to be traded like currency. In regard to teen sexting, I think it takes the feeling of trust and curiosity to send a nude. For young women, to send a nude I think they must have a certain level of trust with the receiver and believe that the image would only be for the eyes of the receiver. Unfortunately, that is not the case for many age-inappropriate sexting incidents. For young men, sexting is a personal enhancer, gaining the trust of young women for the purpose of receiving nudes that they will share with their friends (Ringrose, et al., 2013). For a person to send a nude they must be reassured that they can trust the receiver enough to send such vulnerable material. I do not think protection is guaranteed with nudes. Whether the sender trusts the receiver with their life does not matter, the sender should always think before sending a nude that the receiver may not be the only one to view the nude. Nudes are based on trust and promise’s that the sender has no control over once the nude is sent. Even if the receiver is truthfully trustworthy, the phone and applications they use are not. Phones and applications run this risk of leaking data and attracting hackers which could leave nudes in the hands of higher powers with larger consequences.
Approaching a minor for nudes is a criminal offense that should not be taken lightly. In context to the conclusion of Ringrose et al’s article, age-inappropriate sexting presents gender inequality by how it affects young women versus young men (Ringrose et al., 2013). Based on the ethical decisionmaking frameworks, if an individual break’s another person's trust they should be held responsible socially and in the context of age-inappropriate sexting, legally. Teen sexting can lead to serious consequences for both genders. Socially it should be deemed highly inappropriate to send and share underage nudes and a person who does should be held responsible for their actions. Since it is illegal, I think schools should teach students from a young age the dangers of the internet and how trusting the wrong person could lead to life-long consequences. Young teenagers should be educated on the serious consequences of their actions which would hopefully allow them to think critically and deter them from participating in teen sexting.
For safety and legal purposes, the best advice would be to not send nudes at all. Teen sexting has far greater negative outcomes than positive ones. The act sexualizes teen bodies and creates the image that a women’s body is a commodity to be shared (Ringrose et al., 2013). By not participating in sexting, teens free themselves of the trust issues, peer torment, and danger of trusting the wrong person with such personal material.
References
Ringrose, J., Harvey, L., Gill, R., & Livingstone, S. (2013). Teen girls, sexual double standards and ‘sexting’: Gendered value in digital image exchange. SAGE Publications: Feminist Theory, 14(3), 305–323.
