The Minefield of Talking With Your Children About Sexting | #childpredator | #kidsaftey | #childsaftey

It’s a parent’s nightmare: Your teenage daughter tries to charm her latest crush by sending him a revealing photo of herself—and is devastated when he forwards it to dozens of classmates. Or you learn from an older sibling that a suggestive photo of your younger daughter is circulating online.

“Parents take it personally and wonder, oh my God, why would my kid ever do that?” says Robbye Fox, who runs

parenting workshops in Kensington, Md.

As more teens get involved in sexting, parents’ worries about the trend are mounting even faster. Some teens circulate sexually explicit selfies or videos, or capture and forward screenshots from intimate Instagram photos or FaceTime video chats.

As upsetting as this topic can be, parents should navigate it carefully. Those who react by erupting in anger or trying to control their adolescents’ behavior online risk shutting down communication altogether, research shows.