This just makes sense, doesn’t it? Sexting leads to sexual behavior.
A total of 1,000 teens completed a survey that detailed their sexting history and sexual behavior for six years.
Teenagers who sexted were more sexually active the next year than those teens who didn’t.
These results were predicted because of shaping. Shaping is a way to train people or animals by rewarding small steps toward a goal until that goal is reached.
Practice is also at work here. When behavior is repeated, it becomes normalized, so it’s easier to act out, in person, the behavior that’s been practiced verbally.
Teach your teens about how shaping and practice impact their lives. When teaching them, use meaningful examples so that they really understand.
Review the concepts from time-to-time in order to reinforce your values and expectations.
Claudia
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