Sexting shock: Teens sending nudes as ‘second base’

TEENAGERS have redefined the ‘bases’ of hooking up. And the worrying sexting behaviour they are engaging in on the internet will scare you.

EXCLUSIVE

CHILDREN and teens are redefining the “bases” of courtship and it is leaving them exposed to sextortion and sexting gone wrong.

Gone are the days where “first base” is considered holding hands and “second base” is kissing, now teens have a distorted view of what it means to progress in dating.

In many teenage circles “first base” is considered to be connecting online and “second base” is sending nude or revealing pictures via private chat. “Third base” is now meeting in person and kissing.

Online safety experts and psychologists have expressed concern over the redefining of courtship and speed at which youth are willing to share intimate images.

Sending nudes is becoming standard behaviour among Australian teenagers. Picture: Supplied

They say without open dialogue, our youth are open to cyber abuse and even sextortion — where criminals most commonly request money to prevent the sharing of intimate images.

E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she had been personally told by teens about the new dating rule book and was shocked.

“I was like what? You send them nudes before you either meet them or kiss them? That is hugely intimate,” Ms Inman Grant said.

“Sadly, sexting has become the new form of peer pressure — for teen girls in particular ... of serious concern is that 52 per cent of teens who were asked for a nude image according to our research, were asked by someone they didn’t know.”

Ms Inman Grant said parents needed to employ strategies that empowered their children to explore their sexuality, but to do so safely online.

Young girls are being pressured into sexting online. Picture: Supplied

Child psychologist Rose Cantali said she was aware of the concerning sharing of nudes and was seeing many kids come to her for help when it all went wrong.

“A lot of these young people want the attention, they want to woo the person ... and they think the only way to win them over is by sending a topless or nude picture,” Dr Cantali said.

She said some of the behaviour may be down to what kids see their parents doing online.

“A lot of adults do meet online now and it is considered normal to send sexy images online.”

Elisabeth Shaw, CEO of Relationships Australia NSW, said she was aware of young girls who were posting about their sexual conquests on social media and sharing revealing pictures of themselves on their public feed.

“This is happening quite often and is commonplace for many teens,” said Dr Shaw, who is a mum to two teenagers herself.

Jo Briskey, director of The Parenthood said the youth dating shift was a worry.

“This is very concerning for parents and it’s important for us to intervene early,” she said.

Mary Lou Rasmussen sexuality expert at the Australian National University said she did not believe young people were sending intimate images to people they did not already know.

“Certainly the research that I have read says that the vast majority of sexting happens within intimate relationships already established,” Professor Rasmussen said.

“I would say that young people are actually a lot smarter than we think.”

A total of 40 per cent of all image-based abuse, including sextortion and sexting reports, received by the Office of the e-Safety Commissioner since October involved an image taken while the person was under the age of 18.

Sextortion, another form of image-based abuse, involves most commonly a request for money when a perpetrator tricks a victim into sending them intimate images.

And surprisingly men on dating apps such as Tinder, Grindr or Bumble are some of the biggest victims with the crime on the rise.

Perpetrators are demanding between $400 and $1200 per image or video and often ask for more money once the first lot is paid.

“We have identified that the Philippines and India are two of the countries where there are criminal networks where a lot of this is happening,” e-Safety Commissioner Inman Grant said.

“This is happening particularly to young adults and young male international students and is an emerging trend.”

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Originally published as Sexting shock: Teens sending nudes as ‘second base’