Sexting and Youth

Sexting among youth, the use of mobile technology to create and share sexual content and sexually explicit images of themselves and peers, has become a notable issue in recent years in the fields of social science, law, and public policy. This text synthesizes research findings and presents a comprehensive review of the topic in a multidisciplinary format. It is a timely and readable book fit for use in undergraduate and graduate classrooms, as well as college and public libraries.

Sexting and Youth offers students and scholars a tool for understanding recent developments in this previously uncharted area, making contributions in the relevant fields and subfields of the topic. Chapters review introductory matters like the concepts and context surrounding youth sexting and the results of prevalence studies and the research methodologies used in determining the number of youths engaging in sexting. Chapters then consider social science matters like personal and behavioral motivations, adolescent sexual development and risky behavior associations, as well as cultural and sociological facets such as sex and technology and media activity and impact. The text concludes with chapters that analyze possible formal and informal social control techniques, including justice system issues, alternative responses or approaches, constitutional and privacy concerns, civil liability and tort questions, and education system liability. Bringing together many perspectives and reviewing theory and research from a variety of disciplines, this text presents youth sexting with new clarity, while exposing all of its complexity. It is the first of its kind, a comprehensive and multidisciplinary review of the topic.

Contributing authors include, among others, researchers and faculty from the University of Texas Medical Branch and UT Prevention Research Center, The Ohio State University, University of Louisville (Brandeis) School of Law, and the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Amidst the call for effective policy and practice responses, cogent analysis that places teen sexting into its appropriate developmental and legal context has emerged as a vital imperative. Hiestand and Weins's book provides such context and offers a useful guide and resource for [those] concerned about the safety and well-being of young people growing up in the digital age.
— Andrew J. Harris, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, University of Massachusetts Lowell

In this new and deeply informative work, editors Hiestand and Weins bring together an array of academics with expertise in law, technology, education, and youth. This book is highly recommended to anyone who is seeking a deeper understanding of this topic or insights into how this risky and challenging behavior may evolve with new technologies.
— Frederick S. Lane, J.D., author of Cybertraps for the Young, Obscene Profits, and The Decency Wars