Talking To Your Teens About Sexting

It is important to set boundaries with teens around their phones, but we know sexting in particular can be a difficult topic to talk about.

Here’s some advice to help navigate the conversation:

In order to prevent sexting, help teach your adolescent critical thinking about what they send with their phones. Talk with them in a non-judgmental way about how it feels to be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.
If the situation involving sexting has already happened, be sure to have a calm and supportive conversation with your adolescent. Don’t just talk about the legal consequences, but also the psychological effects and how your teen is feeling about the situation. Try to understand the motivation behind the situation to help prevent future events.
If you choose to talk to other teens or parents involved in the situation, make sure your teen is aware you are doing so and is involved in the conversations. Try to remember this is your adolescent’s whole world, and his or her social life and emotional well-being is tied up in the situation.
Consider involving a mental health professional if the situation appears to be causing depression, anxiety, or stress in your teen’s life.