Their Own Devices

Teen Sexting: A Girl's Perspective

Episode Summary

The sharing of explicit photos is becoming a more common practice in teen culture. Digital technology and mobile apps like Snapchat make it fast and easy to instantly send and receive naked pics. Both boys and girls are actively participating, much to their parents’ chagrin. But why? It turns out that boys and girls may have different reasons for sexting. Certainly some girls voluntarily participate or even initiate. But other young women report being pressured into sending photos and grappling with challenging issues about reputation, body image, a “need" for compliments and attention or simply the desire to please. In this episode Marc and David sit down with three young women who are seniors in high school to hear their perspective on this controversial topic and learn about their personal experiences, both good and bad.

Episode Notes

The sharing of explicit photos is becoming a more common practice in teen culture. Digital technology and mobile apps like Snapchat make it fast and easy to instantly send and receive naked pics. Both boys and girls are actively participating, much to their parents’ chagrin. But why? It turns out that boys and girls may have different reasons for sexting. Certainly some girls voluntarily participate or even initiate. But other young women report being pressured into sending photos and grappling with challenging issues about reputation, body image, a “need" for compliments and attention or simply the desire to please. In this episode Marc and David sit down with three young women who are seniors in high school to hear their perspective on this controversial topic and learn about their personal experiences, both good and bad.