Sexting Risky For Teen Sexual Behavior

If your adolescent is sexting, they may be already sexually active and engaging in risky behavior, a new study suggests.

Researchers are trying to better understand if young people are at greater risk for HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases because they are sending sexually explicit photos or text messages via cell phones.

"Sexting" is not an alternative to "real world" sexual behavior among adolescents, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

"The same teens who are engaging in digital sex risk taking through sexting are also the same teens that are engaging in sex risk with their bodies in terms of being sexually active and not using condoms," said lead study author Eric Rice, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California's School of Social Work in Los Angeles.

A 2009 report from the Pew Research Center found that some teens "view sexting as a safer alternative to real life sexual activity."

While the term "sexting" may also include messages also sent over the Internet, this particular study looked solely at cell phone text messages and images. It was conducted via questionnaire in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Researchers surveyed 1,839 students ages 12 to 18 at random. Most were Latino or African-American. Three-quarters of those surveyed had cell phones.

"Even though a minority of teens sext we only found 15% but that 15% are much riskier with their physical sexual behaviors as well as their digital sexual behaviors," says Rice.

He add that teens who reported sexting were seven times more likely to be sexually active than their peers who did not sext.

The data suggests there are norms about sexting, according to Rice, meaning teens are starting to think that sexting is a normal part of their behaviors. More than half of the teens surveyed reported that they had a friend who sexted.

"A lot of young people think that their friends are sexting, and if you think that your friends are sexting, you're much more likely to sext yourself," he said 17 times more likely, according to study.

"I think that the implications are that teens who are sexting may be at greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases because the teens who sext are about 1.5 times more likely to not use condoms when they're having sex," in addition to increasing the risk of teen pregnancy, Rice says.

This study was conducted in only one urban area; the authors realize that some of the results may not accurately represent rural areas. In addition, recent nationwide research found much lower rates of sexting.

However, Rice said this information can be valuable for parents.

"We [parents, clinicians, educators] should be talking about sexting and the fact that it's part of the risky sex behaviors and it's not just something that exists in a virtual space, so to speak," he said.

"Talking about sexting might be easier for [parents] than talking about sex and it could lead into a larger conversation about sex."

By Georgiann Caruso, CNN

Virginity: A Very Personal Decision

Sometimes it might seem like everyone in school is talking about who's a virgin, who isn't, and who might be. For both girls and guys, the pressure sometimes can be intense.

But deciding whether it's right for you to have sex is one of the most important decisions you'll ever have to make. Each person must use his or her own judgment and decide if it's the right time - and the right person.

This means considering some very important factors - both physical ones, like the possibility of becoming pregnant or getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) - and emotional factors, too. Though a person's body may feel ready for sex, sex also has very serious emotional consequences.

For many teens, moral factors are very important as well. Family attitudes, personal values, or religious beliefs provide them with an inner voice that guides them in resisting pressures to get sexually involved before the time is right.

By: D'Arcy Lyness, PhD

Syphilis

Syphilis is another sexually transmitted disease. It can be transmitted from an infected sex organ to an open cut in the skin of another person. It usually penetrates the moist mucous membranes of the mouth, the vagina, and the penis urethra, through which urine passes from the bladder to the outside.

Symptoms
If Syphilis if not treated, it can occur in three stages. The symptoms are slow to appear usually 10 -90 days after exposure.

The first stage can occur any time between two to four weeks after infection has occurred. A painless ulcer develops at this site most of the time. The ulcer starts as a red spot, turns into a pimple, which ulcerates, forming a sore. The ulcer is usually found on the genitals or anus, but can appear on any part of the skin, including the mouth. It usually heals in 4-6 weeks, leaving a thin scar. During this period the bacterium is circulating in the blood throughout the body.

The second stage appears one to six months after the ulcer heals, you feel generally ill, you have a fever and a headache and lose your appetite. The glands in your neck, armpit and groin may swell. Most people develop a skin rash that does not itch. The spots appear on the palms of the hands and the bottom of the feet.

The symptoms usually last three to six months. There is what you call a latent period where there are no apparent symptoms, and the carrier is no longer contagious. However, the organism is working itself into the host's tissues. There are 50 to 70 percent of the carriers that can live the rest of their lives in this stage, without passing into the syphilis stage. MORE PICTURES

The last stage is the serious stage. It flares up without warning. It can cause heart problems, eye problems, brain and spinal cord damage, with a high probability of paralysis, insanity, blindness or death.

Treatment
Treatment is by penicillin injection, or a two-week regimen of tetracycline, which is the standard treatment for syphilis. All stages of syphilis are treatable and can be stopped.

Transmission
The most common form of transmission is through sexual intercourse. Syphilis can also be acquired by blood transfusion or from passed from an infected mother to her fetus.

Testing
The disease is detected by a blood test.