In recent years there has been a lot of discussion and debate on the topic of sexting. It has become a widespread phenomenon, the number of girls and boys, men and women participating in it is rapidly increasing, and with this also comes the increase in moral panic within societies. Individuals within communities are becoming increasingly fearful, afraid and shocked by this new form of youth cultural hysteria. Even though young people “expressing” their sexuality have become much more open and free over the last decade, the real uproar of panic is due to the risks they are engaging in and the harm and harm they are inflicting on themselves. whether they know it or not. Sexting is "the act of sending, receiving or storing sexually explicit text messages, images or videos using mobile phones" (Crespi, Segool, 2013). Those who participate in sexting are believed to be part of a deviant subculture. As technology advances over the years, especially cell phones have the ability to record and send photos and videos and with this the sending of explicit and suggestive material also increases, especially among teenagers. The content submitted can be anything from text, semi-nudity, and even sexual images and videos. From one generation to the next, teens and adults have already exchanged sexually explicit messages and images, so sexting shouldn't come as a big shock. However, one of the real concerns about sexting is the ease with which these images and videos can be spread and shared among large groups of people. Images or videos meant to be shared privately between people can quickly go viral and can be seen by anyone and everyone. A prime example of this can be seen...... middle of the document ......6030/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/her-teen-comtched-suicide-over-sexting/#.U3ikE_mSySq)Cohen , S 2011, Folk Devils and Moral Panics, Routledge, accessed 16 May 2014(http://books.google.com.au/books?id=FA6tAgAAQBAJ&printsec=copyright#v=onepage&q&f=false)Crespi, T, Segool, N 2013, "Sexting at Sixteen: Reflections on Legal and Professional Issues", The Online Journal of Counseling and Education, vol 4, no. 2, retrieved May 14, 2014 (http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy- m.deakin.edu.au/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=476af979-0ab3-460f-89d2-2d136ee95e4c% 40sessionmgr115&hid=115)Germov, Poole, 2011, Public Sociology – An Introduction to Australian Society, 2nd edition, Allen & Unwin, AustraliaMeyer, E 2009, 'Sexting' and Suicide, Psychology Today, accessed 15 May 2014(http:// www.psychologytoday.com/blog/gender-and-schooling/200912/sexting-and-suicide