I know a lot of people who are sexting. Is sexting okay?

Closeup of male hands using a smartphoneSexting is sending sexual pictures and messages through email or texting. Teenagers can be curious about sex, so sexting can be very tempting. It’s hard to say if it’s “okay or not okay,” but it is concerning. An important thing to remember is that once you send an image to someone else’s phone or email, you have no control over what happens to it. It’s also virtually impossible to “erase” something from digital media, and a picture which might seem exciting for an audience of one person when you are a teenager would be embarrassing if it were uncovered as part of a background check for a job, college admission, etc. It also gives the person you sent it to some power over you, as a partner may threaten to send sexted pictures to friends or family if you don’t listen to them. One rule to consider is if you would be embarrassed by anyone in the world seeing a picture, don’t send it.