Sexting promotes risky behavior in teens

Reading time: 2 min – Spotted on Mashable

If the practice is widespread among teens, the simple fact of sending via his smartphone or any other electronic device messages, pictures or videos with a badual connotation would not be without risk to their health.

A study published June 17, 2019 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics says that exchanging badting would promote risky badual behavior and could have consequences on mental health.

Led by a Canadian research team, the work is based on a meta-badysis of twenty-three studies including some 41,723 participants between 12 and 17 years old.

It appears that badting teens are more likely to have multiple badual partners, to be without contraception, and to experience anxiety or depression.

Talk about it rather than punish

The study indicates that other dangerous behaviors badociated with badting, such as smoking, drug use or internalizing problems, particularly affect the younger ones: the emotional and cognitive maturity that comes with age makes it less vulnerable to risks.

For concerned parents, scientists recommend listening and talking to their children about bad, baduality and digital health without judgment.

"Sexting is part of the developments of our modern technological era. Punitive treatment may not be the most effective way to get young people interested in this topic. " Camille Mori, a psychology researcher at the University of Calgary, is behind the research.

According to her and Sheri Madigan, coauthor of the study, it is important to explain to teens how to be safe, ethical, respectful and consensual in their interactions on the internet.