What is Tech Sex?
Fox News has determined that teenagers' communications with one another are often sexually suggestive.
One in 5 teenagers say they've electronically sent or posted online nude or semi-nude images of themselves, which may be fueling a more casual attitude toward sex, according to a "Sex and Tech" survey released this week by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com.
"Tech sex" is a fantastic phrase, for sure, but credit must go to Wired's Steve Kettman.
Study: 1 in 5 Teens Engaging in Tech Sex [Fox News]
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EXTR-EEE! EXTR-EEE! Read all about it! Fox News reports obvious fact to anyone who ever communicated with anyone before the age of 18! Heavy use of sexual innuendo! Teenagers interested in sex! Fox News apparently has nothing else to report!
Now we just have to remove the barriers for anyone to have safe sex, such as selling hormone contraception (i.e. the pill) over the counter (OTC) instead of by prescription. (Aspirin is more dangerous as a drug.)
And make sure your kids can afford condoms and that they overcome any anxiety about buying them. (Boys and girls!)
@2: I never understood the anxiety about buying condoms. I mean, you're standing in line, and next to you is blatant proof that you're GETTING SOME. Come on! Celebrate! Strut!
I love that Cosmogirl.com is whining about "a more casual attitude toward sex."
@4 Cosmo Girl isn't whining, Fox News is whining about Cosmo Girl's report.
I believe it's called sexting.
"Sexting" is about a billion times more clever as a neologism than "tech sex," which is worse than even the venerable "cybersex".
Unfortunately electronically sending or owning nude photography of underage kids (called “child pornography” by most governments) puts these kids at risk of arrest and incarceration as pedophiles, and a life as a registered sex offender. It doesn't make a difference to most governments if the pictures are of yourself or close friends.
A follow-up:
Child pornography is defined by law as the visual depiction of a person under the age of 18 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 2256(1) and (8). This means that any image of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct is illegal contraband. Notably, the legal definition of sexually explicit conduct does not require that an image depict a child engaging in sexual activity. See 18 U.S.C. § 2256(2). A picture of a naked child may constitute illegal child pornography if it is sufficiently sexually suggestive. In addition, for purposes of the child pornography statutes, federal law considers a person under the age of 18 to be a child. See 18 U.S.C. § 2256(1). It is irrelevant that the age of consent for sexual activity in a given state might be lower than 18. A visual depiction for purposes of the federal child pornography laws includes a photograph or videotape, including undeveloped film or videotape, as well as data stored electronically which can be converted into a visual image. For example, images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct stored on a computer disk are considered visual depictions.
Congress recently significantly increased the maximum prison sentences for child pornography crimes and in some instances created new mandatory minimum sentences. These prison terms can be substantial, and where there have been prior convictions for child sexual exploitation, can result in a life sentence.
From: http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/ceos/citizensguide_porn.html
If only we had a mechanism for changing laws and regulations so that the nudie photos corresponded to state age of consent laws -- where underage pubescent partners (or within 2 years difference of age) can consent with each other to having sex.
The best campaign is to encourage ALL teenagers to intentionally get caught sexting.
In five years being registered as sex offender will be as much of negative social stigma as having a tattoo, or pierced nose.
Of course you are both right, but the laws are Federal so state ages of consent don't apply. Issues associated with working morality into Federal laws apply here as much as they apply to exposure of Janet Jackson's nipple.
Only 1 in 5? Man, at least 2 of those other kids are lying, methink.
www.foxnewsporn.com
I find it ironic that this is the one instance where it would have been culturally accurate to use "cyber" as the descriptive prefix, and they blew it.
There must be a journalism treatise somewhere: "How to deliberately seem out-of-touch when talking about technology."
...How does Tech Sex compare to Sex Tech?
"Tex"?
They're overlooking the obvious, which is that three out of five teens online are really middle-aged men trying to conduct a homebrew "sting" operation against other middle-aged men.