Problem – Solution Essay Draft-1

Teenagers now have moved from “text me later” messages to “sext me later”. According to the Oxford Dictionary sexting is the sharing of explicit photographs or sexual text through mobile phones. As young as a 10 year old kid sext his or her friends. A survey shows that about 22% out of 410 grade seven students in the U.S have participated in sexting (1). Though it might be not that prevalent and serious and Singapore, sexting is slowly gaining momentum among young teenagers of Singapore too.

There are several reasons for teens to participate in sexting. The first and the foremost one is that the pressure among the young teens to gain popularity among their real friends as well as their virtual ones on social networking sites (2). And social media has proven to be a powerful tool for the teenagers who have gone to the extent of sharing their nude selfies with their friends. Another reason that prompts the teenagers to take such explicit pictures is due to hyper sexuality – the increased sexual behaviour in teens.  

Many might wonder why such an unethical act is gaining popularity among teenagers. A survey has revealed that often a teenager engages in sexting only after he has received such. Though many sharing of explicit photographs and sexual texts are widespread, it is a pity that many do not know its long-lasting effects and most importantly, it might be against the law if caught.

Because of the rise of sending explicit pictures and sexual texts among young teenagers of Singapore, the Ministry of Education should introduce interesting classes in schools to educate the young about the dangers of sexting on social networking sites and apps.

It is necessary to stop the teenagers from sexting at an early stage as sexting has grievous consequences. The most obvious one is that sexual messages and explicit photos of oneself can be easily distributed once it has reached the wrong hands. The aftermath might be that the teenager might not be able to go to school the next day, fearing humiliation, or it can be as serious as suicide attempts. Teenagers think that their personal pictures are kept safe on their mobile phones. However, such data are retrieved somehow by sexual predators. Sexual predators collect explicit picture of oneself and blackmail the person in the picture to send more or to meet them in person. One such case was dealt in Wisconsin, USA. David weaver, 51 from Cedarburg, disguised himself as a young girl and collected explicit pictures and videos of more than 100 children across the country (3). Even if a teenager does not get into any such troubles as mentioned above, they might face issues in the future. They might know that their sexts have been leaked out. This poses problems when they apply for universities or jobs in the future.

Many nations have implemented various measures to curb this trend among young teenagers. Depending upon the circumstances, a teenager sending, receiving or possessing explicit pictures or sexual texts can be prosecuted. In Singapore, sexting is dealt under Undesirable Publications Act (4). However                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   actions are only taken upon a complaint. Due to unclear and penalties, a teenager would not file a complaint against the person who would have misused the sext that the teenager has sent. This is because the teenager, though being the victim, might fear of being prosecuted for sending such inacceptable texts or pictures in the first place.

As cases related to sexting are more in the west, legal measures are carefully drafted keeping in mind that there are children under the age of 18 involved in such cases. For example in Texas, a law has been passed that performs a misdemeanour on the initial attempt of sexting by a minor. If the child finishes his or her sexting education course, the child is sentenced to community supervision.  This law has clear penalties and drafted specially for the teenagers. Such clear laws are important as if teenagers are sentenced to the same penalties as the adults, teenagers’ future will be affected. And moreover, the intention behind sexting among young teenagers are different from that of the majors. Young teenagers often do it thinking it is fun and common.   

 As even though, sexting has become widespread and have led to critical cases in the U.S, a survey shows that not many students know it is illegal. Hence, before sexting becomes a major issue in Singapore, the students have to be educated on this sensitive issue. The Ministry of education plays an important role in this. It will be very effective if sexting and other related issues are dealt as an ungraded subject introduced as early as in primary schools. The content can be modified so that it is appropriate for different age groups. In higher and secondary level, the moral and ethical conduct on social networking sites and apps can be taught along with religious and ethnic beliefs. This will not alone help to reduce the trend of sexting among Singaporean teenagers but also promises to develop the future generation with lesser sex crimes and issues like teenage pregnancy. This suggestion can be strongly supported by a study that has been conducted in the United States. It shows that teenagers who are sexting are at high chances of being sexually active or to have unprotected sex (6).

In conclusion, in a city like Singapore which is constantly under the external influences, it would not take a long time for sexting to become prevalent situation. As teens are lured to sext due to their misconceptions and wrong believes of sexual life it is necessary for the Ministry of Education to formulate a course or subject in school to cultivate good values and ethics which will discourage any immoral activities like sexting at a young age. However, one has to think. Did not sexting started among the adults first and then later taken by the teens. So should not the adults be also educated on ethical conduct on social networking sites and apps?

(998 words)