God wants us to look after our children, as they are the future of this wonderful planet. We must teach children about the way of God so that they turn out to be wonderful human beings when they grow up. We should also show them the importance of staying true to the faith and praying to God every day. Given that smartphones have become easily accessible and our culture has become sex-crazed, it isn’t surprising to find that sexting is on the rise. However, if you go through Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics latest research, you will find the results shocking.

39 studies were conducted, which involved 11,380 participants from all over the world. The average age of the participants was 15. The Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, and the United States were some the countries that the participants represented. As per the studies, 15% of the teenagers are responsible for sending texts while 27% of them are on the receiving end. In 2009, a study showed that 4% and 15% of the teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 send and receive sexts respectively.

Sheri Madigan, the head researcher of this study said, “This is a pressing concern for most parents, as well as educators, who are navigating conversations around sexual behavior and digital health and citizenship with teens. We knew teens were sexting, but we didn’t know how many. Getting an accurate sense of how often sexting is happening is helpful for parents, health care professionals, educators, etc., who are having to talk to kids about this behavior.” She had the following to say to parents, “be proactive, not reactive, about sexting, and digital citizenship and health more broadly” and “have open conversations early and often, not just when concerns surface.”

Please share this vital news with your family and friends to raise awareness about sexting!