From the moment she decided to purchase cellphones for her 13-year-old twin daughters and 16-year-old son, Harper, a Norcross mother of three, said she and her husband laid down the house rules. No snapchat for the twins. No photos of themselves in bathing suits. No inappropriate talk about anyone.
But the problem may not be as widespread as the worry, suggest two studies from the University of New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center.
The very idea of a nude “selfie,” a self-taken photo, saddens Harper. She believes it signals, more than anything, teens’ lack of love for themselves.
“I think it’s extremely sad,” Harper said. “For one thing they don’t realize the long-term ramifications or that they’re selling themselves short. They don’t realize they don’t need to behave this way to get attention.”