At what age is it OK for minors to engage in sexting?

the age of consent… + paying for their own phone

Personally, i say whenever they want to. if they are 16 then 16, if they are 13, then 13. whenever they feel like it.

There is no magic age or number that can be applied across the board, some people will be ready for that kind of thing sooner than others. by the time i was 12 i was running round trying to finger girls and all sorts. I was far younger when i first got my hands on some dirty magazines. kids will learn in their own time.

I would imagine, if they are anything like me that they would only do it once anyway. before deciding that it is crap. i would have been about 11 or 12 when i first called one of these sex lines you see advertised on tv and in news papers. it only took 1 call for me to realize that it was crap, and that all it was designed to do was extract money from people, and have never called one since. i imagine many kids would be the same.

they will either try it once and declare it to be shit and pointless, or it will happen more frequently, instigated by boys, lead on by girls who think its funny. as for kids and teens meeting up and having sex because of it, i think the cases will be few. as most girls of most ages will back out of doing anything at that age.

note: the age of consent here is 16, and i think its a good general number. 18 is too high, 21 ridiculous.

18 (here), otherwise you’re in possession of child pornography.

Well excluding talk of when they should be “allowed” to begin engaging in sexual activity, sending nude photos of yourself to anyone at that age is very likely an incredibly stupid idea. At that age you can almost bank on the relationship not working out, and the guy probably being immature enough to be showing it to friends.

This question makes me so glad I don’t have kids.

If we’re talking about sexting in terms of text only (dirty words, etc.), whenever they want, in theory. Practically, you better hope that the person you’re dealing with is mature enough to keep it to themselves…which is likely not the case. Therefore, I wouldn’t really suggest it for any minor. Or young adult. 30.

For the pictures…no way, no how for a minor never. It’s not only possession, as @Winters mentions – the person that sends it can be prosecuted for distribution of child porn in theory. Considering the maturity issue above, I’m sticking to 30 for pics too. Although never is probably the best option.

when they are 18 and can pay their own phone bill. i would still not like it if it were my children and would try to deter the behavior by talking about it.

also, whatever happened to the love letter? in today’s instant response oriented kids do they even exist?

@palerider As a 19 year old I can confirm that love letters still do exist amongst today’s teenagers, not too common but not too rare either.

Well, handing condoms out everywhere should just become a societal event. Everyone who is old enough to walk and talk carries them in Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland. They have the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the world and the highest age of first intercourse. So carrying condoms and thinking responsibly means carrying condoms. You can walk up to a kindergartener in those countries and they already carry condoms. Why? Because they make talk about sexuality and responsibility a societal norm…NOT A TABOO!

As far as sexting…Isn’t it nightmarish how new technology breeds new problems in the world. The reason sexting is even an issue is because cell phones and other mediums create a quasi anonymity. Quasi because of course the person is communicating with you BUT they can’t hear your voice or see you. If they could you would say what you are willing to type. This is true of sexting. You’d never have young females saying these things in person. The forum makes them feel invincible and without reproach.

It’s my opinion that no one should sext. To me it is a vile and sexually impersonal think to do. To me if you want to REALLY connect as an adult…then call someone and have a genuine discourse. You wanna talk dirty in person…go for it. But sexting is a new form of pornography. It dehumanizes and depersonalizes. It also is trackable and reprintable and so what you write can end up just about anywhere with your name attached to it.
I tell my kids who are now young adults: Don’t do anything that could show up on the internet or spread about in an attempt to humiliate and harm you. If you must tell him you want to “S his D”...call him and tell him personally.
And trust me poster…I wouldn’t have said that to them before the age of 18 at least even though my kids have had condoms available since they were about 8 years old.

I tell my kids who are now young adults: Don’t do anything that could show up on the internet or spread about in an attempt to humiliate and harm you.

A solid lesson.

@Winters thanks. my faith in humanity is somewhat restored. i used to love to give and receive a love letter secretly passed by mutual friends to my paramour. it was always so exciting, you didn’t know if you were going to get caught or if one of your more dubious friends might read it while in transit.

I think it is okay for anyone including adults to sext once they understand the consequences their actions could have. If they do not understand that they could get themselves or someone else in serious trouble, then they shouldn’t be engaging in sexual activity.

In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be all sorts of taboos on sexuality.