Sexting—the New and Immoral Fad of Youth Today
John Sutter in a CNN article entitled, “Survey: 15% of Teens get sexual text messages,” wrote:
Nearly one-sixth of teens who own cell phones have received nude or nearly nude images via text message from someone they know, according to a new survey on "sexting" from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The national telephone survey confirms parent and teacher worries that young people are using cell phones to send out and receive sexually explicit images of themselves and of romantic partners.
He continues:
This survey … found 15 percent of cell-phone-owning teens ages 12 to 17 had received nude or nearly nude photos by phone. Four percent of the teens said they had sent out sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves.
Older teens were more likely to send sexual images through text messages than younger teens. Four percent of 12-year-olds reported sending sexually suggestive images by text message, while 8 percent of 17-year-olds reported texting nude or partially nude photos.
When interviewing some people, one boy said:
"I only do it [sexting] with my girlfriend b/c we have already been sexually active with each other. It's not really a big deal," one high school boy wrote in a Pew focus group.
Others said sexting is part of teenage culture -- partly because it can be more convenient or less intimidating than traditional dating.
"Most people are too shy to have sex," another high school boy told Pew. "Sexting is not as bad."
Given the current state of our culture and the easy-access mentality of sex, pleasure, and any and every form of immorality, this survey is not shocking. Nevertheless, it is saddening because these young people are given—addicted (?)—to sexual pleasure outside the marriage relationship and are therefore sinning against God and violating His clear and unambiguous commands in Scripture to remain pure.
This study comes to me at a helpful time. I’m preparing for our youth/college retreat this winter to Big Bear and our theme is God, Sex, & Purity. We will talk frankly and candidly about these issues such as the character of God who created sex and encourages sex in the marriage relationship between one man and one woman. We’ll also delve into topics such as pornography, sexual immorality, purity in dating, and being resolved to live a pure life to the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.
God’s Word is not silent about the issue of sex and especially sexual immorality. Sexting is just one way that our culture and, specifically, the younger generation feeds its lustful desire and greedy craving for sex. And it’s bombarding our young people via cell phones! Yet, the stimulation, the (fleeting) pleasure, and the sin of “sexting” must be addressed and it must be put off with the new, Godly, biblical, Christlike habits replacing it. And this will be our topic over the winter retreat in Big Bear.
