Teens, Digital Devices, and Sexual Problems

We are in a whole new era; the digital age. The implications of this are both positive and negative depending on what perception one views it on. On teenagers or adolescents, the digital age has caused quite a disturbance on their sexuality.

Access to information has been eased as a result of this new era. Anyone anywhere is now capable of searching, accessing, retrieving and transferring information from practically any location within the globe and teenagers are no exception. The digital age has provided the teens with that platform to access information through personally owned gadgets such as; laptops, iPhones, smartphones, etc. However, it is a common understanding that the information the teenagers seek over the digital platform more so the internet is sexually aligned.

This has led to what can be termed as sexual disturbance or unhealthy sexual behaviors by the teenagers. Before getting to these sexual problems experienced by the teenagers, let us first of all look at the activities the teenagers get involved in as a result of the exposure to the digital platform. Teenagers, as a result of being exposed to the digital platform, has the tendency to watch sexualized videos that are readily available on the internet. Some of them go as far as joining these video chat rooms where they get exposed to nude pictures and videos.

There is also the aspect of sexual exploration. From the experience they get from the chat rooms or networks, teenagers get to explore more about sex, and being teenagers, there is no trusting them that they will be responsible in their exploration. This kind of exploration will usually lead them to pornographic contents on the internet from where they acquire such contents and use them from their gadgets.

Social media groups such as those formed on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram among others are some places teenagers get to find or access sexual contents. As a result of being a digital savvy generation, teenagers join such groups in large numbers and end up getting exposed. A part from the social media, there are the smartphone applications such as the “hook-up” apps that these teenagers can easily access due to the digital platform.

The fact that teenagers have gadgets such as smartphones readily available to them has made it possible for them to get engaged in sexting. They therefore get to exchange sex messages with lots of sexual contents.

Effects of Digital Age on Teen Sexuality.

This large exposure of sexual contents to the teenagers has some profound effects on them. Their general development as proper persons with morals and integrity is greatly curtailed.

Teenagers who use or access pornographic contents over the internet,  encounter problems when it comes to interacting with other on a face to face interaction. That is to say that they suffer from social isolation and loneliness. They get captivated by their smartphones or laptops to the extent that they lose that aspect of socializing with others because they tend to have no time for such activities.

There is also the aspect of forming relationships. Teenagers who to get sexual information from the internet tend to encounter serious problems in having relationships with others that actually work. Normally such teenagers will get ideas from the internet gathered across such media as chat rooms and networks and want to apply them in their relationships. For example, they would want to apply what they watch on pornographic contents in their sexual activities with their partners. This kind of adventure normally fails due to lack of satisfaction from the high expectations raised by porn.

Sexual addiction is also one problem a teenager is likely to suffer from as a result of exposure as use of digital gadgets. Exposure and accessibility to porn will make a teenager get some sexual inclination which if not controlled lead to sex addiction. He/she will want to put to practice what the watch hence leading to a teenager having too much sex. Again there is the possibility of potential multiple sex partners which is also enhanced by the fact that a teenager can now easily communicate with many partners they meet on social media.

Loss of self-esteem and focus in life among teenagers is also a problem that ca be attributed to the digital age or era. Any teen who gets indulged with watching porn or sexualized video chats will general become reserved and distanced to the outside world. Too much exposure to porn leads to some self-indulgence activities as masturbation which make teenagers loss self-esteem and focus in general.

Teens, Digital Devices, and Sexual Problems