If you're in a relationship, it's possible to send specific images or messages to your girlfriend or boyfriend occasionally.
These messages are known as "sexts." However, it is important to be very careful when you send sexts as you do not want other people or malicious people to see your private information.
Let's discuss how to protect your sexts, as well as other romantic messages, secure and safe.
What Exactly Is Sexting?
Sexting refers to sending romantic, flirty or sexually explicit photos, messages as well as videos for your partner or friend.
It is possible to send these types of messages through your mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Sexting is a means to keep the spark going and be close to your loved one, even if you aren't with them in the flesh.
Perhaps you're separated due to your families taking separate vacations during spring break.
You may not be able to meet up because you're both in a bind! No matter the case, it's a way to communicate. It can allow you to have fun and flirt even when you're not in a relationship.
A few examples of sexts might include writing love notes in steamy font, sending a picture of yourself with an adorable smile, or recording a brief video of you blowing your partner a kiss or whispering a romantic message.
Being a bit sexually explicit and sexually provocative makes sexting more enjoyable and intimate!
Why Privacy Really Matters for Sexting
Privacy is extremely essential when it concerns the practice of sexting. It's a truism that you should keep your sexts confidential and private for the eyes of your partner only.
You wouldn't want anyone peeking through the window of your bedroom while you're cuddling or romantic with your partner and girlfriend.
This is why you should not have strangers or creeps looking at your private messages, intimate photos and photographs.
Making sure your sexts are private is all about respect, trust, and making sure that your personal life is kept private.
Your partner and you have something special to share, and both of you deserve to feel secure knowing that your sexually explicit content will not be shared with anyone other than you.
Imagine how embarrassing and traumatic it could be If your sexts were distributed to your entire school. Perhaps even more and if they were posted online for everyone to view? Nobody wants this!
This is why privacy should be the priority when sending sexts. Utilizing the proper tools and being cautious about the way you send and save private messages can shield you from embarrassment and even hurt later on.
Use Secure, Encrypted Messaging Apps
Not all messaging applications are in the same way when it comes to safety and privacy. Certain apps provide more security against your messages than others. You should choose to use applications with a specific feature referred to as "end-to-end encryption."
It's like providing your messages with a safe secret code. It muddles the text and images to ensure that only you and your companion can read them or even see them, and not even the app's company itself! The messages are secure and "locked" at both ends of the conversation.
One of the best examples of encrypted, secure messaging apps include Signal as well as WhatsApp.
They are more secure to use for sexting than messaging apps and social media messages.
If you use regular SMS messages or apps such as Facebook Messenger, your messages may be snatched up or leaked more quickly.
Keep Your Phone Locked Down Tight
It is essential to ensure that your phone is secured as if it were a fortress! Always use a secure password or fingerprint lock on your phone.
This way, in the event that your device ever goes missing or stolen, nobody will have access to your private messages and pictures unless they crack your password.
It's also a good idea to have your phone automatically lock after an hour of no activity.
This way, should you happen to leave your phone in the open, any text messages you have received will become secure before anyone can get a hold of it.
Some phones have even security features such as encrypted photo vaults or secure folders to store private information.
Utilizing these vaults built into phones could provide an additional layer of security to your Sexting.
Avoid Auto-Saving Intimate Photos and Videos
A lot of messaging and phones have a default setting that automatically saves any images or videos that you get to your main gallery of photos as well as your camera roll.
This may seem like a good idea, but it's actually a security risk when you're on the phone!
If you receive from your partner an intimate video or photo and you don't want to share it, the private information may end up being saved to an app or a folder in which other people may be capable of viewing the content.
A family member may take your phone to browse through photos from vacation, or a friend may take your phone for an embarrassing group selfie. They could be seeing much more than what they planned for!
The best option is to shut off any auto-saving functions for your messaging applications.
This will stop the sexting photos and videos from being included in your normal photographs where people might find them accidentally. It is possible to save your sext in the future in a secure, safe vault if you truly would like to save it.
Be Very Careful Who You Sext With
This one is common sense. However, it's so crucial that it's worth writing down the rules: Only send sexts to those you are 100% sure of and have full consent.
Ideally, it should be your current girlfriend or boyfriend that you're in a relationship with. You and your partner are both aware of the importance and intimacy of having a sexting session.
Never, never, ever chat with people you don't even know, even if they appear attractive or flirty on the internet initially.
There are plenty of people who are trying to entice youngsters and teens into sharing explicit material. Be cautious about whom you share your personal information with. Doing this can shield you from predators.
It's also recommended to stay clear of sexting acquaintances, casual friends, ex-partners, friends, or anyone else that you don't completely trust to keep your messages secret.
Even if you believe they're decent people, you don't imagine how they'll react if you send them explicit messages. What if they are angry at you and decide to publish your private sexts in anger? This is not worth the risk!
Regularly Delete Old Sexting Conversations
A good security tip is to erase old sexting messages and delete all saved intimate images or videos once they've been saved for a few months. It's not necessary to save that kind of private information on your devices for the long term.
The longer you leave those saved sexts in your phone and unused, the greater the chance they are likely to be uncovered or leaked accidentally.
You might get an upgrade to your phone in the next couple of months and fail to transfer your vaulted photos to it properly.
Maybe you'll loan the tablet out to someone who wants to play games without realizing that the old sext videos remain in there.
If you clean out old sext messages every few weeks or even months, you can avoid a lot of privacy issues in the future.
Send that gorgeous holiday lingerie picture to your loved one and let them have fun at the time, and remove it after an appropriate amount of time. It's out of sight and out of your mind!
Have Open Communication With Your Partner
Engaging in honest, open conversations with your girlfriend or boyfriend regarding sexting is crucial. Both of you must be on the same page regarding how much you're comfortable discussing, the limits, and privacy requirements.
Perhaps you're perfectly comfortable sending photos that are suggestive from the waist upwards; however, anything that is more sexual isn't your thing.
Perhaps your partner is hesitant about trading videos as they don't want their voice possibly being exposed.
Whatever your comfort level is, be sure to discuss the issues openly prior to exchanging intimate material.
Also, make sure you and your partner agree to keep your private sexts completely private and never divulge them to anyone else.
Even if you split later on, the private content must remain completely private. Making sure you are all on the same page regarding privacy and consent right from the beginning helps establish confidence.
It's recommended to keep in touch regularly when you're exploring sexting.
If you notice one of you is getting uncomfortable or is having issues with the new boundaries that you'd like to establish, speak the issue up!
Effective communication is essential to having fun, safe and sexting without drama for you both.
Always Ask Permission to Share
It should be obvious, but to make it simple: Always obtain the explicit consent of your partner prior to sharing or forwarding any private messages, pictures or videos they've shared with you.
Even if you're sharing with your best friend the photo of a fire that your boyfriend posted to make a joke, it's still in invasion of his privacy as well as consent if you decide to share it without asking for permission first.
The sext does not belong to you. It belongs to both of you. Your partner trusted you to share this intimate conversation, and it's not acceptable to violate this trust without their consent.
It's the same for you, naturally. If your girlfriend tried to share photos of you in sexy poses with her friends without telling you first, you'd likely feel off and slighted. Trust, communication and respect should be present when dating.
Be Mega Cautious on Public WIFI
When you're sending or receiving sexts, it is important to ensure you're using a safe internet connection. WIFI networks that are accessible to the public, such as in coffee shops, hotels air, ports, or even the mall, can be extremely dangerous.
This is because these public hotspots generally lack security. It's easy for hackers and creepy strangers sharing this same network to get your information and find out what you're transmitting - which includes images of sexy girls and sexually explicit messages!
Sexting on public WIFI is like yelling out your intimate romantic thoughts at a packed food court where anyone can be listening in. It's not the kind of vibe you're looking for.
If you have to use public WIFI due to reasons other than your own, you should secure yourself with the Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your internet connection. A VPN makes it much more difficult for hackers to monitor your online activities.
However, for sexting in particular then, you're better off waiting until you are able to use your own private, protected home or mobile network.
Why put your sexts viewed by criminals when you could just stop and continue sexting later?
What If Someone Leaks My Private Sexts?
Even if you adhere to all privacy guidelines and guidelines, accidents could still occur. Perhaps you have an infection on your device, or perhaps your partner's ex is a vicious criminal who has stolen and published your intimate information to smear you.
Whatever the case, the result of having your private sexts and sexually explicit images leaked or shared with your permission is an utter privacy breach that could be embarrassing, humiliating and emotionally damaging.
If this occurs to you, The most important point is that it's not your responsibility, and you're certainly not all alone.
Many people, including famous have had their private photographs and videos released prior to this.
What transpired was a felony perpetrated against you by the individual who swore to you and violated consent rules.
Please don't be shy or embarrassed to talk to an adult who you trust about what transpired, regardless of whether it's a teacher, parent counsellor, or other safe person in your life.
They can assist you in navigating the incident, receive help with your emotional needs and also take the appropriate legal steps if you'd like to do so.
There are many great non-partisan assistance and support lines available specifically for teens who've been the victim of leaks to their private information for example, BADASS or BADASS, which is the Cyber Civil Rights Legal Support hotline. Contacting these kinds of helplines is a good initial step.
The best part is that you don't have to sit in silence or think it's all your responsibility.
With the appropriate support system, you will overcome this reg, increase your sense of security and confidence and continue to be the powerful person you are.
But Wait, Is Sexting Even Legal?
In the context of sexting security Let's get to the legal aspects of things. The simple answer is that, yes, generally speaking, sexting between people who consent to it and are both over the age of 18 is legal.
If there are explicit images or videos of minors (someone younger than 18), it could be considered child pornography, which is illegal and carries severe consequences. Teens who are sexting with their peers could be in legal trouble for it, based on where they reside.
If you're a minor and you're not sure, it's better to stay away from sexting using pictures or videos until you're an adult.
Texts that are flirty, erotica-inspired stories, funny memes, and all that could be enjoyable if you make sure that you keep them PG-13 until more mature. The legal ramifications of sexual activity are just not worth it.
Also, regardless of how old you are, it is best never to force anyone to engage in sexting against their wishes.
Consent must be completely granted by both individuals every time. Sharing or distributing any private information without consent is unlawful.
Can Sexting Ever Really Be 100% Safe?
There's no way to make sexting 100% safe. When you make and share explicitly digital material, even for a short period, there' sasin chance that your content might be compromised, leaked, or taken over by malicious actors.
However, that doesn't mean you can never be able to sext safely when both of you wish to investigate!
So long as you're both responsible adults, following the most effective privacy practices and using secure encryption apps while being very mindful about trust and consent and taking appropriate precautions...then you are able to make sexting as secure and as low-risk as is realistically feasible.
The most important thing is to be proactive about securing your privacy in the beginning, creating a space for positive communication with your partner, and knowing how you can get assistance if something goes wrong despite all your efforts. If you take care and are smart, you can experience an intimate sexting relationship while keeping your privacy secure.
Conclusion
Sexting can be an enjoyable, flirty way to keep the romance present in your romantic relationship, even from a distance.
However, since you're dealing with sensitive, private information that is sensitive, you must be extremely vigilant about securing your privacy and security.
Always make sure you use encrypted, secure messaging apps. Keep your devices secured.
Beware of saving sexts over the long term, and only communicate with people you trust and are trustworthy and have your complete confidence and permission. Be cautious when using WIFI in public areas, engage in open discussions about boundaries, and do not give out information without consent.
If someone violates your privacy by divulging your messages, don't be afraid to seek out help. What was done wasn't the fault of anyone else. Be aware of the legal aspects of it also, particularly when you're a minor.
With a bit of common sense and the appropriate security measures, you can have fun sexting with your friends but keep your personal life in order and stress-free. Privacy is paramount, but having a sexual encounter with someone you love can be a secure, satisfying experience when you are doing it responsibly.
FAQs
Q1. Sexting is truly safe, or should I stay clear of it?
Sexting is safe when you take the appropriate security precautions and take responsibility for it. Use encrypted, secure messaging applications. Keep your devices secure and only chat with people you believe in.
There's always a chance of risk when you make explicit content on the internet. By avoiding sexting, you can avoid that possibility completely if you're confident about it.
Q2. Which is your favorite app to use for safe sexting?
Applications like Signal as well as WhatsApp are among the safest alternatives for sexting as they utilize end-to-end encryption.
That means that your messages can only be read by your spouse but not the applications themselves. Beware of text messages that aren't secured.
Q3. I'm under 18. Is it ok for me to flirt?
It's usually safer for minors not to sext in any way, especially in the case of explicit photos or videos that could be considered to be child pornography or illegal.
If you do participate in Sexting while an adult, make sure you keep it to a minimum and do not publish any visual content in order to minimize the legal risk.
Q4. A spouse has leaked my private sexts without my permission. What should I do?
If this occurs, it's a breach of privacy or consent; however, it's not the fault of you. Speak to an adult you trust or an organization for help. They can help you sort through the emotional trauma and also take legal action if needed. There is no need to be silent about it.
Q5. How do I convince my partner to allow me to have sex in private?
Engage in a candid, open dialogue with them about concerns regarding privacy and consent when you are sexting.
Set boundaries that you both feel comfortable with and use safe apps and a rule of not sharing one another's content without consent. Effective communication is the key to secure, respectable and safe sexting.
