Research Paper on Sexting: Exploring the Revolution of Digital Era Communication

Introduction

Sexting is the modern incarnation of sending and receiving of romantic and sexually explicit visual and written messages through cellular technology (Kachur et al., 2013). The revolution of the digital era has seen most people showcasing their creativity in sharing information. Mobile applications such as Whatsapp, Facebook, and many others make the process of sharing visual content accessible. It is in this process that the desire to express intimate feelings and act sexually has led to different versions of sexting from time to time. Young adults and children are the victims of this new social evil, and this calls for new legal regulations. Sexting is contagious among teens as they are susceptible to peer pressure and a sad affair to both parents and law regulators. Parental perception of online danger is not perceived as a danger by the young generation but instead of exiting opportunities (Smit, 2015). Consequently, the legal processes around sexting is too complicated since it is difficult to control what people share on their cellular phones in their pockets. The phenomenon has thus become a nightmare of every teen parent and guardian. The society has become sexualized especially for the girl child. There is so much focus on the way girls behave and dictating how they should act.

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According to Ouytsel, Walrave, Ponnet, and Temple (2018), sexting is considered as a usual way of experiencing adolescence where there is a mutual agreement. As a result of reduced forums where adolescents can meet offline and engage in casual activities, they are now diverting all the energy to social media (Smit, 2015). Besides, social media presents opportunities such as Snapchat that encourages the sharing of sexual content. Adverts of kissy and half naked girls sends a message to the young teens on how they should also behave. Others, out of curiosity they have searched for information that has exposed them to sexual content and a chance for sharing the same. In the USA, this social media culture is firmly rooted, and there is a need to explore this topic in a bid to find ways of curbing this modern vice and exposing the extent of the negative impact. It is in this light that this paper focuses on comparing and contrasting sexting in the USA and South Africa.

Background

The usage of phones has been on the rise in the last two decades in developing countries. As a result, the prices of phones have gone down, making them affordable to young people. Smartphones have been the specific items of interest by young adults due to their ability to take pictures, connect to the internet, and create videos, among other issues (Bulger, Burton, O'Neill, & Staksrud, 2017).Cyberbullying, sexting, and cyber-stalking have found their way into these countries, such as South Africa, but they already set foot in the USA (Smit, 2015). Sexting is now the new way of maintaining a relationship amongst young people. The virtual reality has also promoted this vice as some youths find it easy to share sexual content with strangers whom they encounter online in a bid to satisfy their innate desire. There are also adults in social sites manipulating young people to share sexual content. They are gullible and selfish as they are aware that the internet is to blame once these youth are caught. The text messaging seems to have faded in the South African Set up as the wave of the internet has made it easy to use Whatsapp, Viber, and Snapchats, among others. Data service providers have also contributed through the offers that appeal to the young people enabling them to misbehave away from parental sight (Bulger et al., 2017). Notably, there are three different categories in sexting; one that is between romantic partners, exchanges where the romantic partners share outside their relationships, and exchanges where one party is trying to win the other into a passionate transaction (Kachur et al.,. 2013). The major challenge with these three categories of sharing is that once the content is shared, whether, within married or acceptable boundaries, the sender always loses control of their content. In the process, such content may get into the wrong hands, and they are used illegally.

In a study by O'Connor, Drouin, Yergens, & Newsham (2017), 92% of the USA teen population reported going online on various social media platforms. 24% percent of the ninety-two stated that they were always online, not focusing on anything else. The desire to lead among peers causes these idle minds to set themselves in weird activities so that they can have new stories and discoveries to share. Young adults are not to blame since even the older generation is not wise enough to learn on what they should expose. As a result, young adults copy from older people who are also not aware of the dangers or limits. Studies looking into a visual sexual content report that 20% of adults within the ages 13-26 have sent nude photos or posted online with the more significant percentage being girls (Kachur et al., 2013). Further analysis revealed that the women who post nude photos do so as a result of coercion from the male counterparts who then share widely anonymously. It is because the digital culture brings so much pressure and even the wise in class tend to fall prey into trends without a second thought. Older strangers also seek for romance through the media and later take it offline for further sexual relationships (Bulger et al., 2017). According to Kachur et al., a survey conducted regarding written sexual messages reported that more than 30% of 13-29-year-olds post or send sexually suggestive messages via texts or e-mails. 38% reported having received sexual content that was not meant for them.

Research studies on sexting in South Africa are minimal and therefore no sufficient literature to offer statistics on the same. However, there are statistics showing that 38% of the population represents the under 18 years, and the leading group of people in internet usage is the young generation (Kachur et al., 2013). It shows that they are in a position to share information on social networks. A limited study by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention reported that 21% of high school students had been approached for sexual talks, 17% had received the info on e-mails, 9% had been coerced to do something sexual and14% felt the threat of online sexual harassments (Kachur et al., 2013). Statistics showed that male youths posed as a vulnerable group likely to engage in unsafe internet practices. The leading platforms are WhatsApp and Instagram. Besides, content shared on Instagram and WhatsApp can further be shared on Twitter and Facebook, thus reaching a bigger audience. However, the controls still are within the young generation s most adults are busy.

In South Africa, there are no specific criminal regulations for sexting; it is only through the definition of the offense that such is categorized as either criminal or civil offense. However, there are general laws to ensure that the teenagers are safe from predators who are all over the online platforms searching to devour young, innocent people. However, the intended good by the law faces a myriad of challenges since it is more theoretical than practical. Moreover, there are arguments that children have the right to sexual exploration and pleasure. Girls need to appear remarkable and express their innate sexual desires that are limited to offline platforms. However, the approach only works to encourage sexting, which gradually extends to other vices. Children grow into sexually irresponsible adults. They live with guilt as a result of shame for their actions. Therefore, the technology that was meant for connection becomes a technology for disconnection (Smit, 2015). Essentially there is a need for emotional literacy in expressing oneself and building oneself for the future.

Legislation

Sexuality is affected by different aspects of a person's life. Therefore sexting for a person in the USA and South Africa differs since these people are exposed to different cultures, philosophies of life, politics, and legal controls. However, one common thing is that both countries have children and young adults exposed to sexting due to the availability of technological devices. Children spend most of their time in schools, and this is where their psycho development begins. The significant influence of a child's behaviour, whether in the USA or South Africa, mostly spans from school environs. Thus, sexting is a volatile phenomenon in schools that calls for children safe while online.

South Africa does not categorize the sharing of sexual content between adults as illegal, only the sharing of sexual content with under 18-year persons is punished, and offenders registered under the National sex offender registry (Antonie, 2019). However, there are efforts in combating and controlling the incidence of evil intentions as defined by the law. Notably, the existing regulations were meant to punish the adults involved with less focus on the minor. The general rule accuses consensual texting, although the revised law as per 2015 consensual sex between 12 and 15-year-olds is legal (Antonie, 2019).In this wake, there is a need to focus on the minor as well. A considerable gap exists that should be focused on to subject the minor to laws and regulations

In the USA, the extent of sexting is widely spread, thus limiting the legislation controls. Essentially, this is because prevalent incidences are defined as normative and acceptable. The reality is the US is that most cases of sexting are underreported, and therefore the reports are not a true reflection of the truth. Besides, the figures in records still show that the tendency may lead to increased sexual affairs among young adults and thus contribute significantly to the spread of STDs and HIV AIDS. On the other hand, sexting harms society and hence the need to call for action. Notably, legislative controls are differing from state to state within the US, making it hard to have uniform laws to control the vice.

According to O'Connor et al. (2017), victims of sexual offenses are registered as sexual offenders with the exclusion of consensual victims. Lifetime offenders find challenges in the future in career and college opportunities. Such harsh treatment is a silent move to discourage the innocent lot from taking part in these kinds of offenses. On the contrary, the extent of sexting continues to grow, and more victims under prosecution. Partly, legislatures find themselves in a dilemma while dealing with minors. The first research shows that juveniles are still in their developmental stages in life, and therefore they are not able to make judgments accordingly. Such indecision leaves most Legislatures to practice what they deem fit in the unique cases they face. Nonetheless, there are general federal laws guiding child pornography and safeguarding the rights of children.

Impact and Safe Practices

In South Africa, sexting and cyberbullying occur concurrently. It has been shown that learners who engage in sexting have general tendencies of low self-esteem, poor performance, and delinquent behaviours. Individual learners experience a myriad of challenges once they are caught, which affect their functioning in school and the ability to catch up with others as they are busy handling such case in the offices. There are other ripple effects, such as recruiting more learners on the practice and leading in causing chaos in schools. However, educators in South Africa have not paid much attention to the issues

In the USA, the impact on learners is similar to that of South Africa. The difference comes in on how the educators from the USA approach the whole picture. The educators are well trained, and they...